MANILA, Philippines — The call came just as I stepped out of DZME?s radio booth yesterday noon.
I had just finished my program ?Usapang Sports? and was not inclined to take any more calls, except that the name of the caller rang a bell.
?Freddie Ma?alac,? said the technician. He was a former photo journalist once connected with the Manila Bulletin where I used to write. I often bump into him at the Philamlife Subdivision in Quezon City where his wife has worked at a supermarket for years.
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Freddie said he has been listening to the discussions in the program and had wanted to contribute his 10 cents worth, except that he did not get through on time.
?You know, kawawa naman si Manny. Sana hindi na niya pinasok ang pulitika. Ang ganda-ganda na ng kalagayan niya ngayon,? said Freddie who had long left the media to join the staff of Senator Ping Lacson.
?Take my word for it, I know because I?ve been exposed to politics and politicians since I left media.?
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Freddie was sure Pacquiao, the national hero, would be corrupted if he becomes congressman. No ifs or buts about it.
And even if it does not happen right away, there will still be corruption all around him througth the people who work for him, ?so that his intention to devote his entire pork barrel fund to his district will never be realized.?
?Kasi sa mga nakapaligid na lang sa kanya, ang laki na ng mababawas diyan. Tapos malamang siya ang mapagbibintangan dahil sa hilig niya sa sabong at pustahan sa bilyar.?
Because of this, Freddie strongly advises the aspiring congressman not to avail of his P70 million CDF, if he wins the congressional post in the first district of South Cotabato against the incumbent, Darlene Antonino Custodio.
He said he has known of only two legislators who opted not to avail of their pork barrel funds: ex-Senator Alfredo Lim and his boss Ping Lacson.
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Indeed, long after it looked like everything had been said about Manny?s venture into politics, people are still talking.
Boxing scholar Teddy Reynoso, for example, expressed his suspicion that there is something political about the elaborate reception given Manny when he returned to Manila from Texas.
?The fanfare [was] too much, they blew the celebration way out of proportion to the quality of fight at the Alamodome in Texas,? said Teddy who, like almost everybody else, would rather that the boxing idol stay out of politics.
Teddy consoles himself with the thought that if Pacman wins in the May elections, he would establish a record in the Philippines and maybe even worldwide as the first boxer of his stature to become a congressman.
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I previously wondered if the PBA national team could compete in the Fiba Asia Club Championship in Tehran, Iran, especially since the event was a new addition to the calendar and may not have been on the itinerary of the squad.
?We will be sanctioned if we do not participate,? said an official of the BAP-SBP.
For a moment there, I was fearfully mulling the possibility of another ban.
However, my fears were allayed when I was told that BAP-SBP president Manny V. Pangilinan had signed the entry form to the Club Championships in Iran and flights have been booked to that exotic place once called Persia for the entire team.
While two imports are allowed each country, RP head coach Chot Reyes is bringing an All-Filipino team to the competition that will be held from May 12 to 20. (Ed?s note: The Philippines qualified for the club championship after Harbour Centre-RP topped the qualifier recently in Indonesia.)
