MANILA, Philippines?Even before he sets foot in Congress, boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao seemed to be learning the moves of a seasoned politician.
Pacquiao, a winning candidate of the Nacionalista Party (NP) in the congressional race in Sarangani, visited presidential front-runner Benigno ?Noynoy? Aquino III, standard-bearer of the rival Liberal Party (LP), at the Aquino family?s home on Times Street in Quezon City at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
The world boxing champion was accompanied by his wife, Jinky.
Aquino confirmed the meeting with the Pacquiaos but insisted that it was no more than a friendly chat.
?We met last night,? he said. He refused to comment on whether Pacquiao would be switching to the LP.
Pacquiao could not be reached for comment as of early Wednesday night. He was busy shooting a film, according to an aide who answered his mobile phone.
Before the May 10 elections, Pacquiao moved from the ruling Lakas-Kampi-CMD to the NP to be its congressional candidate in Sarangani and endorsed its standard-bearer, Manuel Villar Jr. In an earlier interview, Pacquiao, who is a billionaire like Villar, had said he refused the property tycoon?s offer of campaign funds and would instead be relying on his own resources.
LP seeking allies
The LP is currently seeking the support of lawmakers like Pacquiao from other parties, in its attempt to form a coalition that will carry Aquino?s legislative agenda in the House of Representatives.
The LP is fielding incoming Quezon City Rep. Feliciano Belmonte as candidate for Speaker against outgoing President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, a newly elected representative of Pampanga.
Lawyer Edwin Lacierda, LP campaign manager, described Tuesday?s meeting between Aquino and the Pacquiao couple as ?friendly.? He noted that Aquino?s youngest sister, TV host Kris Aquino-Yap, is a godparent of one of Pacquiao?s children.
Lacierda did not disclose other details of the visit.
Kris recovers
Kris has reportedly patched up differences with Pacquiao, who said in a pre-election TV advertisement in an apparent reference to her brother: ?Merong iba diyan, laban nang laban sa salita pero wala pa namang nagawa (Others are always fighting in words but had not done anything.)?
In her Twitter account (twitter.com/iamkrisaquino), Kris countered the remark and posted: ?In politics, Noy (Aquino) has won 3 straight terms sa Congress and won almost 15 million votes sa senatorial [race] in 2007. How sad na he didn?t think na in politics, knockout nga siya.?
She was citing Pacquiao?s loss to Darlene Custodio-Antonino in the congressional race in South Cotabato when the boxing idol entered politics for the first time.
According to abscbn.com, when Kris appeared on the TV program ?Showbiz News Ngayon (SNN) on Tuesday, she said: ?Kami nga ni Jinkee Pacquiao, OK na OK na ulit eh. Sinabi ko talaga sa kaniya, ?Mare nagtampo ako sa asawa mo.? Pero OK na ngayon, love-love-love.? (We?re OK now with Jinkee. I really told her that I was hurt by her husband?s remark, but I?m OK now.)
