There?s supposed to be an unwritten rule in the Senate that if a colleague has a pet bill, he or she will be supported all the way until passage into law. Of course, the presumption is the bill makes sense, isn?t controversial and has a positive impact on society. So when Sen. Manny Pacquiao introduced his pet bill creating a Philippine Boxing Commission, he thought it would be smooth sailing.
Sen. Manny never expected some of his colleagues to train their sights on him and try to shoot his proposed bill down. Now, the bill is under fire but Sen. Manny, the warrior that he is, won?t back down. He?s survived tougher scrapes. What?s disheartening is the opposing colleagues seem to be on a mission to embarrass Sen. Manny by using their command of English and legalese to derail his thought process. They?re bullying Sen. Manny into agreeing to conditions just to put the bill to bed.
All Sen. Manny wanted to do was to institutionalize the regulation and supervision of pro boxing because it is potentially a dangerous sport and has a major impact on the country. Because of his own experience, Sen. Manny understands what it takes to become a successful prizefighter and how a supervising commission could make the Philippines a pro boxing hub in Asia with a positive effect on the economy in terms of sports tourism.
Citing the equal protection clause is irrelevant in this case. If you include other combat sports like mixed martial arts in the equation, it would only water down the commission?s focus. A suggestion to set up separate commissions for other sports like billiards or weightlifting smacks of a failure to appreciate the intricacies of the fight game.
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In the Philippine context, pro boxing has gone a long way in proving livelihood and job opportunities for those who are involved in the sport. It?s a serious business that has to be regulated because the incidence of exploitation is real with fighters often the victims of unscrupulous managers, promoters or matchmakers. Besides, boxers could be injured or even killed in the ring so that measures must be taken to protect them from suffering a major tragedy.
Sen. Manny also wants to provide for the future of former Filipino world champions who have sacrificed a lot to bring honor to the country. GAB wouldn?t be in a position to do this because of lack of resources. But a commission with a capitalization of anywhere between P100 to P150 Million a year could develop a system of security for retired titleholders like Rene Barrientos, Rolando Navarrete, Rolando Pascual, Tacy Macalos, Rolando Bohol and many others. Dean’s Corner ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1
Someone raised the issue of duplicity in trying to downplay the necessity of a boxing commission since at the moment, GAB supervises pro boxing. But even as GAB deploys about 46 of its staff of 154 for pro boxing, it?s clear that the focus isn?t far-reaching. GAB has no vision to promote pro boxing in the country as a vehicle for sports tourism and lacks the mandate to provide for the welfare of fighters. There will be no duplicity if the authority to supervise pro boxing is taken away from GAB and transferred to the boxing commission.
It appears that Sen. Manny?s bill wouldn?t have encountered rough sailing if not for political circumstances. The shift in the balance of power in the Senate has drawn clear lines between the majority and the minority, turning debates on the floor even on simple issues into complicated verbal tussles aimed more at shaming proponents than working together to make sense out of bills. Unfortunately, Sen. Manny?s bill to push pro boxing to the next level is in jeopardy as collateral damage to the brewing war of opposing sides in the Senate. And that?s a pity because a significant measure to boost a sport that has brought so much honor to the country is now under unfair attack.
In Cebu last Saturday, two unbeaten Filipino boxing prospects made short work of their Indonesian opponents, causing fans to wonder whether superbantamweight Jack Tepora and lightflyweight Christian Araneta are for real or they just fed off tomato cans.
Tepora blasted Yon Armed into submission at 1:16 of the first round to retain his WBO Oriental superbantamweight crown while Araneta halted Demsi Manufoe at 1:41 of the opening stanza to claim the vacant WBO Oriental lightflyweight belt at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino. The fights were the co-main events of the ?Who?s Next? series produced by Omega Pro Sports International.
