MANILA, Philippines – Manny Pacquiao may be a knockout main event in the boxing ring, but in the halls of Congress, he may very well be just the newcomer undercard.
His Wednesday afternoon interpellation of the reproductive health (RH) bill principal sponsor, House Minority Leader Edcel Lagman, was probably his most highly anticipated fight outside the boxing ring.
Yet it also proved to be a big disappointment, not to mention a source of humor to some, as it showed shades of his last boxing fight just 2 weeks ago ago.
Like his duel with Shane Mosley, Pacquiao?s face-off with Lagman, a veteran of several congresses, was rather friendly and civilized.
While Pacquiao’s speed on the boxing ring was his highly vaunted asset as a fighter, it was not evident in his match with Lagman.
Stammering in his speech, visibly uncomfortable with the jargon, and apparently reading from a prepared set of questions, Pacquiao in Congress is a far cry from Pacquiao in the boxing ring.
There were no quick series of argumentative punches, no strength in his arguments, no intense follow-up questions.
It seemed that if Lagman was a boxer, he wouldn’t be hurt by Pacquiao?s punches, and instead be tickled by them.
Lagman clearly made child’s play out of Pacquiao, at times sounding like he was explaining matters to a kid.
At least twice, Lagman reminded Pacquiao that he was asking questions that he already answered in earlier interpellations?just about the same time Pacquiao was away to prepare for his fight with Mosley.
Earlier in the day, Lagman opined that the Catholic church may be running out of arguments against the RH bill, and has resorted to getting a popular spokesperson.
If Pacquiao would be that poster boy, then they are in trouble.
Pacquiao?s main points during his interpellation were as follows:
– Why not legislate other anti- poverty measures aside from the RH bill?
– Isn’t population control, not anti-poverty, the main function of the RH bill?
– Why was it referred to the population and family welfare committee and not the committee on women?
– Wouldn’t the RH bill impose a 2-child policy on families?
– Will it make sex education mandatory?
– Will it oblige employers to provide employees with contraceptives?
The debate lasted less than an hour. Pacquiao was entitled to 60 minutes, excluding Lagman?s answers.
Pacquiao was just the 3rd of at least 38 congressmen in the initial list of interpellators.
He wasn’t in the original list, but being who he is, Pacquiao was able to ask more veteran lawmakers to let him be first.
The RH bill was actually among the last to be tackled in the agenda on Wednesday. Earlier, the plenary approved other matters and dispensed other business.
Other lawmakers also made manifestations and speeches out of the blue as a matter of privilege, much to the consternation of some observers who quickly cried, “dilatory tactics.”
For one, Deputy Speaker Raul Daza spoke about the judiciary and Chief Justice Renato Corona, for which he was interpellated by Rep. Orlando Fua.
This was followed by anti-RH Rep. Roilo Golez’s inquiry as to what happened to some 90 other bills that were before the RH bill in Congress’ priority list.
This pitted him against the floor leader and the presiding officer, especially after he questioned the quorum which, at that time, was already starting to dwindle.
