Pork barrel politicians usually give each other as token gifts during Christmas products from their provinces such as puto bong-bong, suman, or buri hats, but world boxing champion Manny Pacquiao floored them this year with a haymaker, officials said on Thursday.
Even before the actual countdown to Christmas Day, Sarangani Rep. Pacquiao spent P8 million to give each of the 258 members of the House of Representatives a pricy Techno Marine wrist watch, said a lawmaker, who asked not to be identified.
?We are overwhelmed by his thoughtfulness,? the lawmaker said.
Christmas gifts. Boxing Champion Manny Pacquiao is giving out watches worth P8 million to all 258 members of the House of Representatives as his Christmas gifts to them.
Several lawmakers admitted receiving the watches. Some of them said Pacquiao did not bother to remove the P29,500 price tag on the watch that hired him as product endorser.
The Sarangani congressman, boxing champion, television personality, movie actor, singer and commercial product endorser, started giving out gifts 38 days before Christmas. In his TV noontime show Manny Many Prizes, Pacquiao also give away cash to people in the audience.
Pacquiao did not return calls and his office staff declined to isue a statement when sought for comment about expensive gifts to his wealthy colleagues.
The boxer holds the distinction as the wealthiest legislator in the 15th Congress with more than P1 billion declared net worth in his 2011 Statement of Assets and Liabilities.
