STAY WHERE YOU ARE

Posted by Hub Pacheco (Pasay, Philippines) on 26 November 2006 in Miscellaneous.

A man overlooks an ad promoting a screening of Philippine boxer Manny Pacquiao's third fight with Mexican Erik Morales last Novermber 18. Pacquiao won the fight in three rounds.

Well, after all the confetti and parades around the streets of Manila, Pacquaio's home once again. And for his next big challenge, he must go head-to-head with... Philippine politics. Rumors are swirling like Pacman's lightning-quick punches that Manila mayor Lito Atienza offered the boxer to be his/or his son's (Ali Atienza) runningmate in next year's mayorial elections. Please, for the love of God and our country, don't. I'm sure Mr. Pacquiao has good intentions and all, but given the dog-eat-dog mentality of Philippine politics, he'll just end up being used by politicos starving for the public's favor. What could help your political image more than by standing alongside the boxing champ at a parade across Manila? Or accompanying him at the airport on his way home?
I agree with some newspaper columnists that Pacquiao should forget politics and focus his energies on what he does best - boxing. The closest thing he can do to public service is by forming a charitable instititution - donate some of his winnings (and it's pretty obvious he's got a lot) to build/renovate a school or something. Just please, don't. enter. politics.

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