Three videos on social media carried erroneous claims related to former senator Manny Pacquiao’s loss in a legal battle with Paradigm Sports Management (PSM).
Posted on May 12 by Facebook (FB) page Show Business 2023 and YouTube channels Viral TV and Pinoy Celebrity, the videos claimed that:
- Pacquiao’s wife Jinkee was emotional while visiting him in prison;
- authorities from California were coming to the Philippines to arrest Pacquiao; and
- Pacquiao asked for President Ferdinand Marcos’ help to resolve the case with PSM.
VERA Files Fact Check debunks these claims below.
On Pacquiao being ‘arrested’, ‘imprisoned’
The videos bore the title: “Jinkee Pacquiao, Emosyonal Ng [sic] Dalawin Sa Selda Si Manny Pacquiao (Jinkee Pacquiao, emotional while visiting Manny Pacquiao in jail)?” Not true.
The boxing legend is not behind bars. Local and international media, which covered the case, never reported that he was sent to prison as a penalty. Neither have there been reports of United States (U.S.) authorities coming to arrest him.
Paradigm’s lawsuit against Pacquiao is a civil case, according to multiple news reports. In general, a losing party in a civil case pays the winning party for its losses, according to an explainer by a U.S. District Court in Florida.
On May 4, a California jury ordered Pacquiao to pay Paradigm US$5.1 million (P281 million). It sided with the sports management agency, which claims the former boxer acted in bad faith by failing to disclose his pre-existing agreement with promotional company TGB Promotions when he worked with them.
On Pacquiao asking for Marcos’ help
The claim that Pacquiao asked for Marcos’ help in connection with the PSM lawsuit has no basis. The video did not provide proof to back up its assertion.
A cursory search shows that Pacquiao and Marcos, former presidential candidates during the 2022 election, last met on April 29 during a Sports Day event in Malacañang.
The videos posted by YouTube channel Show Business 2023 (created on Jan. 30, 2022), FB page Viral TV (created on March 30, 2019) and FB page Pinoy Celebrity (created on June 21, 2017) got a total of over 264,939 interactions collectively.
These appeared six days after Pacquiao said in an official statement that he and his legal team would seek other legal remedies regarding the PSM case.
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(Editor’s Note: VERA Files has partnered with Facebook to fight the spread of disinformation. Find out more about this partnership and our methodology.)
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