Dr. Dante Ang
T is not difficult to fall for Sen. Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao. He is charming, friendly and really fun to be with. I, for one, like him as a person. People like me can easily identify with Pacquiao for I, too, came from the bottom of the heap.
I was able to finish high school through the kindness of the Congregation of the Immaculate Concepcion of Mary; went to college as a working student; enrolled in Letran College and De La Salle University when I had the money and the spare time; and earned my BS in journalism from the Lyceum of the Philippines much later in life. I pursued higher education (MBA) and graduated Benemeritus (magna cum laude) from Letran; and earned my DBA from the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila.
Like Pacquiao, I, too, dreamed of a good life, of grand achievements, of helping lift my family from the bondage of abject poverty, of giving my children and grandchildren a comfortable life and a bright future, and of doing good for others.
Pacquiao went on to become a world boxing champion, a congressman and a senator of the realm and it looked like he was destined for “greater things,” until he started to think and act like a “trapo.”
He has set his eyes on the presidency. Pacquiao will run for president come hell or high water; with or without the endorsement of President Rodrigo Duterte. He believes in destiny, in the power of God to crown him, and no amount of reason can move him from the belief that God favors only those who help themselves and that one shouldn’t depend on God alone, leaving the Almighty to do the rest. It’s not how the heavens work.
PACQUIAO OUT OF THE PREXY MIX
He was jolted out of his reverie when he “heard” (not read because he rarely reads according to people in the know) that the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) has endorsed Duterte as the party’s vice presidential candidate in the 2022 presidential elections. The resolution, which was signed by the party stalwarts, was brushed aside by Pacquiao, who said it was not authorized and accused Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi of engineering it behind his back.
In a press conference hastily called by the Pacquiao supporters, the senator berated Cusi and accused him of politicking, then offered the advice that “this is not the time to play politics” and that the party should instead focus on helping the dispossessed.
The resolution was obviously a not-so-veiled message to Pacquiao urging him to drop out of the Presidential race, and that the party is looking somewhere else for its standard bearer. Recent polls show that Davao City Mayor Sarah Duterte-Carpio was the top favorite among a list of presidentiables. Another survey also reveals that Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go would win hands down for President if paired with President Duterte as the former’s vice president. Pacquiao was nowhere near the top.
Quite a number of Pacquiao’s well-meaning friends have advised him not to accept the PDP-Laban presidency. Accepting it would only drain him politically and financially. It will gobble him up and suck away his remaining strengths leaving him brokenhearted and penniless.
Despite all the advice of his well-meaning friends, Pacquiao went ahead and accepted the presidency of the party in the mistaken notion that he will be crowned the standard bearer since he is the party’s president.
The latest developments inside the PDP-Laban strongly indicate that Pacquiao is out of the Presidential mix within his own party.
A DUTERTE REDUX?
I doubt if Pacquiao could replicate the Duterte phenomenon in 2016. That election was a spontaneous explosion of people’s frustrations and anger over our country’s state of affairs; of unmitigated greed of politicians; of endemic corruption in and out of the government; of poverty; and of hunger, among other political, economic and social concerns.
Some, including Pacquiao’s supporters, would argue that the conditions prevailing during the 2016 elections are still very much around us and that he would ride on the people’s outrage. Maybe so. But I am not sure if the senator has the bona fides to put together a coherent national campaign behind his candidacy. He is too emotional and too impulsive. He needs to be rational.
Besides, he is surrounded by advisers who are “legends in their own minds,” one of whom I know talks “big” with graphs and charts during presentations with nothing to show for accomplishments. This is the same “adviser” who was recently “fired” by a very popular local executive for misrepresentation, and if not for the executive’s prudence and critical thinking, he would have gotten more millions while the executive would have landed in jail. Oh yes, he has already collected over P100 million from the unsuspecting businessman, according to some estimates. This Pacquiao “adviser” is a certified crook.
UNSOLICITED ADVICE
Giving away dole-outs and bundles of cash to just anybody he meets on the street, in the market, and to his partymates on a whim is misplaced “charity.” For financial assistance to be meaningful, it has to have a clear and meaningful purpose, without which it is not “charity,” but simply a wanton display of extravagance. Even the Lord frowns on wasting one’s hard-earned money.
It is hypocritical of Pacquiao to admonish his party mates for talking politics this early and for neglecting the poor when he himself is already campaigning for president. He is going around the country distributing “goodies” and cash, and airing his commercials on social media.
Fact is, he has invited Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson to be his vice president not once, not twice, but thrice. There are also reports that he has talked with Sen. Mary Grace Poe and former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. in Laoag City some time ago.
Pacquiao should summon his courage, look at himself in the mirror and look into his heart if he has the competence, discipline and skills to provide the people with a roof over their heads, food on their tables and education for their children, as well as to create jobs, support businesses, make industries vibrant again and rid the country of shenanigans.
He should just be himself and not pretend to be what he is not and what he can’t be. That’s what the Lord sayeth, and that’s what it shall be.
We have had a procession of leaders who were either demonstrably corrupt or incompetent, or both. We do not need another charlatan.
(Disclosure: I did several studies for Senator Pacquiao sometime last year upon the invitation of a dear friend who paid for the costs.
Source： Manila Times 23-03-12