General Admission

Whether Pacquiao goes Roxas or Binay, no worries

AL MENDOZA - GEN ADMISSION

By Al S. Mendoza

 

IN boxing, Manny Pacquiao made many meaningful decisions that practically helped make him a billionaire that he is today.

Of course, he also made mistakes, like when he allowed a couple of crooks handle his infant career.

Who didn’t taste failure before achieving success?

Michael Jordan also fell to failure traps more than a hundred times before he became basketball’s greatest player of all time.

Pacquiao was also not spared of boxing miseries of his own.

But when he shacked up with Bob Arum, that’s when the money came pouring in.

In less than 10 years since he made Arum his promoter in 2006, Pacquiao has become a certified billionaire.

No Filipino athlete, past and present, has even come close to approximating his wealth.

He now owns mansions in Manila, in his native Mindanao and in the US, too.

In his prime, Flash Elorde never amassed wealth in the mould of Pacquiao.

Not even Robert Jaworski, the living basketball legend, whose wealth might not even reach a fraction of Pacquiao’s bank account.

Pacquiao is the only athlete, living or dead, who has acquired property at plush Forbes Park, the bastion of everything glitzy and ritzy—filthy rich.

He can retire anytime and with his wealth, he can easily wallow in five lifetimes.

A highly ambitious person—he could not have attained eight world boxing titles in eight weight divisions if he weren’t—Pacquiao now flirts with political destiny.

So that someday, he said he wants to be President.

Already, he has eyed the vice presidency.

But at 36, he is short of four years to be qualified for a VP run in 2016.

Although it is common knowledge that he is a senatorial bet under Jojo Binay’s UNA party, Pacquiao is still being wooed by P-Noy’s Liberal Party.

Pacquiao was in Binay’s July 1 rally when Binay officially declared his bid for the Palace in May.

Mar Roxas, P-Noy’s presidential bet next year, wants Pacquiao in his senatorial slate, too.

For sure, Pacquiao, with his tremendous vote-getting power, will be a massive asset to either Binay or Roxas.

If Pacquiao sticks it out with Binay, P-Noy is partly to blame.

In Pacquiao’s several courtesy calls on P-Noy at Malacanang, the President never even gave Pacquiao a hint of help in his tax battles with revenue chief Kim Henares.

Kim has filed tax evasion charges against Pacquiao to the staggering tune of not less than P3 billion.

A congressman himself in the lone district of Sarangani, Pacquiao, in his second term, is no political rookie anymore.

I’m sure his experience in the roped arena is also giving him the added arsenal to fight his political battles well.

So, whether he goes Binay or Roxas in May, it won’t matter.

He might just win it just the same.

The Senate seat, I mean.

(For your comments and reactions, please email to: punch.sunday@gmail.com)

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