Ring success, international recognition and money won’t satisfy Manny Pacquiao. He considers a stamp in Philippine politics as his crowning glory. It is a personal quest. And because of that one glorifying ambition and against the advice of friends, he is again running for a seat in the Philippine Congress.
Nobody should ever question one’s desire to become a politician in any place in the world.
But desire is one thing. The relevance and timing of that pursuit of happiness and recognition are matters that have to be pored over again and again.
For all the admiration I had for Manny there are a slew of things I will have to ask of and from him before I would even entertain the thought of him winning next year’s election. His charity, popularity and money are undoubtedly his strongest assets when he runs for public office.
But will Manny be a better politician than he is the excellent boxer?
I believe he will if he dismisses his coterie of politician friends, who are doing him more damage than good and could turn him into damaged goods.
For one, one associate is not content with the ‘financial aid’ the Filipino boxing champ is already giving him for his own campaign. An insider said this guy had the temerity of literally pocketing chips from Manny’s table in one of the casinos here in Mindanao.
He did it while Manny was looking the other way. The guy tried to cash out the chips but unknown to him a closed circuit TV caught him placing the chips in his pockets. Unfortunately for him, the house called Manny’s attention and together with that ‘friend’ the boxing champion was shown the CCTV footage. Manny, according to my source, could only frown in disgust.
Another time, another politician-friend was said to have, again, skimmed P300,000 ($6,420) from a duffle bag that contained Manny’s winnings in a cock derby only a few months ago. All Pacquiao could do, again, according to my spy, was seethe in anger.
When politician friends ask for a couple of million to bankroll their birthday bashes in public while Manny himself only spent a million for the star-studded christening of his daughter, what does it make of them and of Manny?
If he is surrounded by crooks disguised as politicians, will Manny live up to expectations?
Manny also has to prove that he is beyond friendship where his duty to the public begins.
Amongst them, he should find ways to have a former bodyguard surrender to the authorities to shed light on the 2004 killing of radioman Jonathan Abayon.
Former Pacquiao bodyguard William Bael, an ex-Army man, was identified by former General Santos City police director Sr. Supt. Willie Dangane as the man who shot dead Abayon while allegedly on their way home from Manny’s residence. (also read: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/gen/2004/08/20/news/nbi.claims.abayon.shot.from.a.distance.html)
While Pacquiao was cleared by Dangane, the fact remains that Manny never paid the slain mediaman a visit during Abayon’s wake nor attended the funeral.
Abayon may not be the purest of journalists, but he deserves justice too.
Manny, too, has to prove that his meek-as-a-lamb image is already for good and gone are his impetuous ways. Remember the mauling incident with a band leader whose pretty lead singer-wife you took fancy to, Manny?
You will be a good politician one day, I am pretty sure Manny.
But you will have to clean your house, take time off and turn your back from politics for a while.
Come back when you are ready to face questions and ready to take punches that will come your way, because unlike boxing scars wounds from politics will take longer to heal. If ever they will.
Filipinos have a short memory. They might forget you are a unifying factor with your boxing prowess and accomplishments.
The people want you perched at the altar of invincibility.
Enjoy life and come back wiser and ready to face the dirty world of Philippine politics.
Or have you already dirtied yourself?
