General Admission

Pacquiao weapon versus disqualification

AL MENDOZA - GEN ADMISSION

By Al S. Mendoza

 

ONLY presidential candidates Duterte & Co. have been consistently getting huge media mileage?

Think again, fellas.

One candidate not running for president has been going great guns hogging the spotlight.

He is none other than Manny Pacquiao, who is running for senator.

OK, OK, stop whining.

You say, how can Pacquiao have the gall to run for a higher position when he was a virtual flop as a congressman?

One, in 200 or so sessions in Congress, Pacquiao attended only 4 times.

He was more busy boxing than legislating?

You bet.

In bills he had authored, not one was ever passed.

In short, Pacquiao was zero during the last 6 years that he was representative of Sarangani.

And now he wants to be senator.

I have no quarrel with that on the argument that this is a free country anyway.

No one has the right to stop someone from wanting to run for a public office for so long as the candidate meets all the qualifications.

Pacquiao is of age, of sound mind and of good character—attributes needed to make him qualify to run for senator.

Unlike Grace Poe, Pacquiao’s citizenship is not in question.

Unlike Grace Poe, Pacquiao’s residency status in the Philippines is not in question.

The only question that keeps hounding Pacquiao is his ability to perform his duties as a lawmaker.

Which also goes without saying that an extraordinary mind is a primordial requisite for one to qualify as a senator.

This is not to say that Pacquiao is unfit to sit in the Senate.

But, hey, come on.

Pacquiao’s perfect place is atop the squared, bounded-by-ropes, ring.

The one gift that God had given him is his boxing prowess.

That is why he has won an unprecedented 8 world division titles, a feat not even achieved by Muhammad Ali, admittedly the greatest boxer of all time.

But listen up, fellas.

Despite his obvious shortcomings, Pacquiao seems to be bathed in media spotlight—both a result of his carelessness/recklessness and unnecessary assaults from elements envious of his popularity.

After absorbing mortal blasts for his below-the-belt anti-gay comments, Pacquiao would next get threats of disqualification in the May polls if he proceeds to fight Timothy Bradley on April 10 (PH time).

He has since apologized to the gays for his “worse-than-animal” attack on same-sex relationships.

But he seems disinterested in postponing the Pacquiao-Bradley fight to escape possible election disqualification.

The Fair Election Act says anyone gaining media/TV exposure more than the time required by law may be disqualified.

The 12-round bout between Pacquiao and Bradley might exceed the prescribed time limit mandated by law.

Yes, it might—but only if the fight reaches, say, 12 rounds.

The quick-fix solution for Pacquiao?

He knocks out Bradley in the first round.

That won’t take him 3 minutes.

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

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