Pacquiao is House panel chair

THE MOST famous Filipino making a living abroad, boxing champion Manny Pacquiao, has assumed the chairmanship of the committee on overseas workers affairs in the House of Representatives following the resignation of Akbayan Rep. Walden Bello.

As the committee’s first vice chair, Pacquiao, who is the Sarangani representative, succeeds to the leadership of the 35-member panel that deals with affairs of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), including the latest case of Mary Jane Veloso who faced execution in Indonesia on Tuesday.

According to Christopher Lomibao, the secretary of the overseas workers affairs committee, Pacquiao automatically assumed Bello’s post after the latter turned in his resignation on March 19.

Bello, previously a member of the ruling coalition in the House, resigned from Congress because of political differences with the Aquino administration.

“Under the hierarchy, the first vice chair of the committee is Manny Pacquiao, so he became the acting chair. But as to whether he will become the actual chair, that will be up to the House leadership,” Lomibao said.

He said a plenary vote would be needed to determine who would sit as permanent chair.

The other vice chairs are Wes Gatchalian of Alay Buhay, Roy Señeres of OFW partylist, and Mark Villar of Las Piñas.

Pacquiao is ranked among the top absentees in the lower chamber. In 2014, he attended sessions only four times. He reasoned that he would rather do constituency work in his district than attend House sessions.

On Tuesday, Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares asked Pacquiao to buckle down to work after his match on Sunday with Floyd Mayweather Jr., by calling an inquiry into the Veloso case.

Colmenares said the committee should investigate cases of Filipinos being used by international syndicates to smuggle drugs to other countries.

Congress will resume sessions on May 4.