Side Bar Commentary from HOLLYWOOD, California – I find it a bit of fascination and an honor to touch on this specific topic about the purported “meeting” betweeen boxer-turned-actor Sarangani Congressman Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao and US President Barack Obama.
In my exclusive conversation with Top Rank Godfather Robert “Bob” Arum last January 11 at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles, he said such potential meeting, should it happen, would be a non-official chance of diplomacy. Therefore, it should not be taken as a chance for mendicancy.
Another, I must say such possible meeting can only be “official” if the 15th Congress of the Philippines would so empower Pacquiao to act as a spokesperson only for purposes of capturing the best of his moment with Obama. And I don’t think Obama would not love to capture the limelight of the moment.
But, here’s the smile-inducer for Pacquiao’s fans and for those who want to be a part of entourage of Team Pacquiao to the White House: Obama said that he will have plenty of time to campaign for reelection in 2012. If Obama would really want to be more expansive of his campaign down to the rising grassroots of Filipino-Americans which constitute as second highest group of Asians in the US, then his fledgling campaign team should waste no time.
As reported in the Los Angeles Times on February 6, 2011, Obama’s campaign manager Jim Messina “spent last week hopscotching across the country to hold sessions with prominent donors in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York and Boston”. “His outreach is apart of an intense push to rebuild the finance operation that helped Obama raise a record $ 745 million in 2008,” the Los Angeles Times reported.
Now, I don’t think Obama would dare to solicit some dollars from Pacquiao out of this “chance-meeting”, however unofficial it may be. Nor Pacquiao should do the same by soliciting dollars for his hospital project in Sarangani, solely to boost his performance rating being a duly-elected Congressman of Sarangani.
Pacquiao should have a clear grasp of what it takes to be an official representative of the Philippines. Should the Philippine Congress empower Pacquiao to execute such “meeting” as an official one, then why not?
But, for a meeting to be called “official”, both public offices of their respective countries they are representing should mark their respective book of records as “Obama-Pacquiao meeting”, or some sort.
I suppose that “chance-meeting” would just be a campaign-booster for both: Obama and Pacquiao. I mean, a personal appointment, at least acording to my understanding of Arum’s statement.
Of course, for Pacquaio, it’s for his fight, country and for the lone district of Sarangani he represents.
And for Obama, it’s all about solidifying his appeal to the Filipino-American voting populace.
