So Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao is still weighing his political options for 2016.
Vice President Jojo Binay an audience on Monday in General Santos that he is still trying to convince the boxing icon to join his Senatorial slate in the 2016 elections.
Pacquiao himself has not made public his political plans when he quits boxing two years from now.
The long-time General Santos City resident is into his second term as Sarangani representative in Congress. A close-in aide said Pacquiao is carefully thinking about his balance sheet, however. A candidate for Senator has to raise at least P500 million (US$11.2 million) to give himself a decent shot at landing in the Top 12. A P1-billion campaign kitty might just do it.
His brush with the taxmen may be holding him from announcing his plans. It is easy to conclude why Pacquiao is a coveted senatorial candidate for any opposition party that will emerge in 2016. Pacquiao, in spite of the many distractions, continues to enjoy strong approval ratings although that could wane once he is out of boxing. His ranking in the recent Asia Pulse survey for likely candidates that could land in the winning column is between 11-16th places, very precarious indeed for the 35-year old solon. That probably is also preventing Pacquiao from declaring his candidacy for the Philippine Senate in 2016. Pacquiao and Binay share the same rags-to-riches storyline. Binay even self-effacingly compares skin-color to underscore their shared childhood depravity. But at one point, they crossed paths. In 2007, Binay made potshots of Pacquiao when the latter supported and raised the hands of Lito Lapid who challenged the diminutive former human rights lawyer as top honcho of the city of Makati, the enclave of the rich and the elites in the country. Apparently all are now forgotten. The two have not only kissed and made up. They are now scratching each other?s back. Speaking of Lapid, the former B-grade actor in the Philippine movies was also once the toast of the Philippine entertainment industry. He turned his popularity into political capital ? landing for himself the plum gubernatorial seat in Pampanga, one of the most populous provinces in Central Luzon. From there, Lapid used his name recall to grab a seat at the Philippine Senate where he is now serving his second consecutive term. Which brings the question, between Lapid and Pacquiao, who among them is more popular? In an election that is determined by media exposure, who between them are still at the peak of their respective popularity when they embarked on a political career? Lito Lapid was an action movie icon in the 1980s sharing equal billing with the giants in the industry such as the late Fernando Poe Jr and Dolphy. Pacquiao has surpassed not only the popularity of the late Gabriel ?Flash? Elorde. He set a new standard in world boxing greatness by capturing 8 world titles in as many weight divisions ? a singular feat that will probably take another generation to eclipse. At this point, Pacquiao?s popularity is unrivaled in the sports. Pacquiao?s name will continue to ring a bell (pun intended) long after he quit boxing for good. As his signature T-shirt says, he knows. He knows that he can translate his current popularity into winning his way into the Senate. And he may be a shoo-in. Pacquiao and Lapid came from different field of entertainment (who says boxing is not entertainment disguised as sports). But Pacquiao has successfully packaged himself as the kind of success story that 80 percent of Filipinos living below the poverty line wish they were in his shoes. After all, it is not every day that one boxer gets to earn billions of pesos become a congressman and later senator. Maybe voting Pacquiao in the Senate will make that everyday Filipino?s wishes and dreams come true. Indeed, why not a Senate run?
