MICHAEL MARLEY’S PHILIPPINE DIARY, PART 18:
GENERAL SANTOS CITY–Perhaps that Beyonce song got stuck in Manny Pacquiao’s head.
Or maybe he was just struck by inspiration to make a boxing related promise to the pobrecitos who are among the 230,000 registered voters in neighboring Sarangani Province.
Or maybe, just maybe, it just hit him that Monday, which is Election Day here in my favorite archipelago, is also his 10th wedding anniversary as he and the lovely lady, Jinkee, were betrothed on May 10, 2000.
Whatever, the salient point is that Pacman, whose Congressional battle against Old Money Roy Chiongbian and his powerful clan goes to the ballot boxes Monday, has promised to construct boxing gymansiums in 16 barangays across the seaside, rural province which seems to be populated more by goats, chickens and cattle than by people.
Yes, if Pacquiao is elected, he’s going to put a ring on it.
Actually, he will be putting 16 rings on it across the province.
In heated competition with the Chiongbians, Pacquiao has also been promising to built the first hospital in the province and to provide free and reduced price medicine to residents.
As I write this on an otherwise lazy Mother’s Day Sunday afternoon (shout out to my Wild Irish Rose, Dorothy Marion Corbett in heaven above) at the Royale Hotel, we have just watched the successful ring return in Aguascaliente, Mexico, of Antonio Margarito on ABS-CBN lively commentary provided of the Manila studios by my pals Dyan Castillelejo and boxing maven Ronnie Nathanielsz.
