If, with his popularity, boxing champion Manny Pacquiao thinks that the congressional race in South Cotabato’s first district is a walk in the park, he better think again.
The incumbent representative of the district, Darlene Antonino Custodio of the opposition, told The STAR yesterday that she would give Pacquiao a run for his money, of which he has a lot — in dollars, not pesos.
“I can assure him that he will have a good fight. If it’s another rival, he might knock him out,” she said.
She said voters in her district are mostly literate and not easily swayed by a candidate’s popularity or media exposure.
The first district is composed of General Santos City and the towns of Polomoloc, Tupi and Tampakan.
Custodio said besides her projects and the track record of public service of her family, what is going for her is the support of her city mayor, Pedro Acharon Jr., her three town mayors and South Cotabato Gov. Daisy Fuentes.
Custodio and Fuentes both belong to the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC).
Custodio’s mother, Lou, was representative of their district for three terms or nine years. Her father, Adelbert, was one-time congressman and former mayor of General Santos City.
Earlier, reports had it that Pacquiao, a resident of General Santos City, was eyeing Acharon’s post. There were also speculations that he would be the vice mayoral running mate of Ali Atienza, son of Manila Mayor Lito Atienza.
The boxing champion has joined the so-called Atienza faction of the Liberal Party, though in the eyes of the Commission on Elections (Comelec), there is only one LP, and it is led by Sen. Franklin Drilon.
The Comelec has invalidated the elections held by Atienza’s breakaway group, which deposed Drilon and installed Atienza and Mike Defensor, who was then President Arroyo’s chief of staff, as its new leaders.
Thus, it is Drilon and other LP officials recognized by the Comelec who nominate candidates in the May 14 elections in behalf of their party.
It is not clear if Pacquiao will seek nomination from the LP, in which case, he will have to talk to Drilon, not Atienza or the ruling party Lakas.
Atienza, for his part, said he would have a talk with Pacquiao over the decision to run as congressman in South Cotabato under the LP.
Atienza said Pacquiao should have deferred his decision to seek political office since the deadline for the filing of candidacy is still on March 29.
“He (Pacquiao) did not have to make a decision at this early time… I was not included in the process. I would also want to talk to him and ask why,” he said.
Atienza said Pacquiao is currently training in General Santos but might fly to the United States by next month for a more extensive training.
“I have to talk to him one-on-one. This (politics) is entirely a new field to enter and he should take it easy,” he said.
Custodio, on the other hand, said Pacquiao has every right to ask voters in their district to represent them in the House.
But Custodio expressed her suspicions that Malaca?ang had a hand in Pacquiao’s choice of her district as the area where the boxing champion would launch his political career.
“This has something to do with impeaching the President. If I lose to Manny, one pro-impeachment vote is lost,” she said.
She added that Mrs. Arroyo and her allies are obviously working to ensure that the opposition and other administration critics are not able to elect one-third of the more than 200-member House to send an impeachment complaint to the Senate for trial.
Last year and this year, Custodio, who is also a deputy minority leader, supported efforts to oust the President through the impeachment process. -with Evelyn Macairan
