Many fans of boxing hero Manny Pacquiao are not happy with the surfeit of his political commitments during the current election campaign, mostly endorsing administration candidates for local posts or the Senate. Last week, he invaded Makati City and endorsed the mayoral bid of Sen. Lito Lapid against the incumbent, Mayor Jejomar Binay.
Binay, of course, recoiled at Pacquiao’s presence. “What is this guy doing in Makati when he should be campaigning in his district in General Santos City?” said the irked mayor.
PacMan, as Pacquiao is popularly called, is running for a congressional seat in General Santos against Rep. Darlene Antonino Custodio, the opposition candidate for reelection.
In a recent campaign speech in General Santos, Pacquiao took a dig at Custodio for doing nothing throughout her term to uplift the living conditions of the people in her district.
In contrast, Custodio has been deferential to him as the godson of her parents. When Pacquiao knocked out Mexico’s Jorge Solis in the eighth round of their recent fight in Texas, she applauded wildly.
“He is our hometown hero, our country’s hero,” she exclaimed. Her only complaint against Pacquiao is his big advantage in TV exposure as a boxing champ and his tremendous popularity.
While Custodio has shown her tender side in the campaign, Pacquiao has cut a figure no different from a typical traditional politician, strident at times in his rhetoric. Fans say he can afford to be charitable to his political rival and still win.
Many people have long cited Pacquiao for his humility in his victories against the world’s best fighters in his division. But they see him as a different person as a politician. They view him with a split personality.
It is the view of some that becoming a congressman has been not only a passion to Pacquiao but an obsession. Several of his close friends have dissuaded him from entering politics but he won’t listen. His stock reply was that he wanted to help improve the living conditions of the people in his congressional district.
Pacquiao may have the best intentions in seeking a congressional seat. He may have a bleeding heart for the poor. But in Congress, one needs not only a heart but also a head to enable him to do best what is expected of him by his constituents as their chosen representative.
Pacquiao is already the top endorser of popular consumer products. Now he is the favorite endorser of politicians running for public office.
Does Pacquiao enjoy playing Mr. Big, anointing candidates right and left in the May 14 election? Has he allowed himself to be used by politicians in attaining their selfish ends? Or is he under moral pressure to endorse the electoral bids of politicians in return for their lavish welcome whenever he returned from his boxing conquests?
The problem with Pacquiao is that he wants to be somebody in every aspect of life that interests him. He dabbles in singing (he already has an album), billiards, target shooting and even basketball. But politics?
Pacquiao stands tall in the esteem of his people as a boxing champ. However, public adulation is strained for him as anybody else, most of all a lawmaker.
Tito Primicias feted by ex-classmates
The former Pangasinan governor and congressman, Tito Primicias, who has made Canada his second home, marked his 76th birthday recently at Gloria Maris at the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City. Present were members of Class ’47 of the Pangasinan Provincial High School (now Pangasinan State University) of which Tito is a distinguished alumnus.
The class recently held its diamond jubilee and in an election of new alumni officers, Natividad A. Cruz, class salu?tatorian and a successful mother, was elected president vice Hector Campus, former vice-president of the National Power Corp.
Other officers are Concepcion S. Dumayas, vice-president; Milagros B. Fronda, secretary-treasurer; Salvacion N. Abad, subsecretary-treasurer; Hipolito Basuel, auditor; Crispin Al?mazan, subauditor; Marciano de Guzman, business manager; Rosario T. Sison, sub-business manager; Susano Lopez, liaison officer; Imelda C. Torio, liaison officer 2; and Fred Rosario, PRO. The advisers are Hector Campos, Ramon Morales, Julio Matias, Palermo Soriano and Tito Primicias.
