By ELLEN TORDESILLAS
BOXING champ Manny Pacquiao wants to be congressman so he can continue helping other people without using his personal funds.
In an interview at the sidelines of a provincial rally by the Nacionalista Party recently, Pacquiao, who is known for his generosity to his needy province mates, said what he is doing is not enough.
“Pera ko ang ginagastos ko. Kawawa naman ang pamilya ko. Mauubos ang pera ko (I’m spending my own money now. But pity my family. My wealth would be depleted),” he said.
Last year, Forbes magazine listed Pacquiao as one of the world’s highest paid athletes. He is tied for sixth place with American basketball star player LeBron James and golfer Phil Mickelson, who both earned not less than $40 million dollars in 2008.
Boxing analyst Ronnie Nathanielsz said Pacquaio earned no less than $12 million or P533 million in his latest fight against Ghanian Joshua Clottey last March.
News reports said before the Clottey fight, Pacquiao had officially earned $27.5 million or P1.2 billion from his five fights in the last two years. The amount did not include Pacquiao’s pay-per-view earnings from these fights. Pacquiao owns several houses in the Philippines and the United States.
Pacquiao, who is up against businessman Roy Chiongbian, said there are many more things he wants to do for Sarangani like providing livelihood programs, education for children of the poor and medical assistance to indigents.
In earlier published interviews, Pacquaio said, “The reason I am running for Congress is that my town needs somebody who can bring in more economic opportunities for my people. Because I am fortunate enough to be famous, perhaps as a congressman I can attract bigger businesses to our area and provide more revenues.”
In 2007, Pacquiao lost to Darlene Antonino-Custodio in the congressional contest in General Santos City. He changed his place of residence and registered as a voter in the town of Kiamba, Sarangani.
Pacquiao expressed confidence that this time he would win against Chiongbian, whose family is well-entrenched in Sarangani politics because, he said, “nakapag-prepare ako ng dalawang taon (I’ve had two years’ preparation).”
Man-on-the-street interviews in Kiamba and Alabel towns gave mixed reactions to Pacquiao’s congressional bid.
A market vendor said she is all for Pacquiao so he could continue helping the poor. She related an incident the day before wherein Pacquiao shelled out P60,000 to pay the hospital bill of an indigent woman who delivered a baby by caesarian section.
A family friend of Pacquiao’s wife Jinkee spoke of Pacquiao’s ongoing medical assistance program where his foundation pays for all medicines purchased in Sarangani drugstores. All that is required to avail oneself of this is a doctor’s prescription, she said.
Alberta, 61, said even if she has some reservations about Pacquiao, she will be voting for him because he had helped her aunt with P200,000 for her kidney transplant. “Tumatanaw ng utang na loob (Out of sense of gratitude)” would be her reason for voting for Pacquiao.
A restaurant owner, however, said he is voting for Chiongbian, who is from a family of “the Father of Sarangani politics.” He admitted, though, that Pacquiao is popular among poor folk, especially those in the coastal communities.
The owner of a sari-sari store, plastered with Pacquiao posters, said “Idolo ko siya sa boxing. Pero baguhan siya sa pulitika (He is my idol in boxing but he is new in politics).”
Pacquiao said he might still continue his boxing career even if he wins the congressional contest. “Depende,” he said but declined to elaborate.
The boxer is running under his local party, the People’s Champ Movement, which is aligned with the Nacionalista Party (NP). He is endorsing NP’s Manuel Villar for president, saying they have the same rags-to-riches story.
Pacquiao has formed a party-list group, Pwersa ng Bayaning Atleta, but he clarified that he is not among the nominees who will sit it in the House of Representatives if the party wins.
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