RUFUS RODRIGUEZ’S RIDICULOUS SUGGESTION ABOUT PACQUIAO

He may not realize it yet, but Senator Manny Pacquiao has confirmed that he does not deserve to be president of the Philippines. First, Pacquiao created a rift within his political party, the PDP-Laban, by questioning the validity of the party’s political assemblies held about a month earlier. He said those assemblies were held without his prior approval as the acting president of the party.

That, of course, is a flimsy reason.

The real reason why Pacquiao created a ruckus was because he suspects that the pro-administration PDP-Laban will endorse Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, the famous daughter of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, as the party’s presidential candidate in the 2022 elections.

Pacquiao is angry because he had always assumed that his fame as a boxing champion will be enough reason for the PDP-Laban to anoint him as the party’s presidential bet in next year’s polls. For Pacquiao, the idea that not everyone in the party is mesmerized by his fame as a world-famous prizefighter is unacceptable. He has always thought that he is a sure win for the presidency simply because Filipinos adore him.

After complaining about the “illegal” party caucuses, Pacquiao alleged that there is rampant corruption in the administration of President Duterte. Pressed for evidence to prove his allegation, he was unable to present any.

Pacquiao’s allegation of corruption in the government is viewed as the boxer’s clumsy attempt to discredit President Duterte, and by extension, his daughter Sara, in the hope that voters will see him not just as a famous boxer but also as an anti-corruption crusader.

As a political butterfly who has changed his political party affiliation at least thrice in the past, Pacquiao knows that running under the banner of the pro-administration political party will be an advantage if he will run for President. By discrediting Sara Duterte, he also thinks that the PDP-Laban will abandon the mayor and opt for a Pacquiao candidacy instead. After creating that stir, Pacquiao left for abroad without taking steps to prove his allegation on corruption. He found time to designate a political has-been, Monico Puentevella, as his unofficial spokesman, but Pacquiao did not bother to leave any evidence to prove his allegation of corruption.

For Pacquiao, his boxing bout in America is far more important than the issue of corruption he so clumsily raised and irresponsibly abandoned.

If that is not disappointing enough, here comes Cagayan de Oro Representative Rufus Rodriguez, who made the absurd and ridiculous suggestion that everyone in the Philippines should stop faulting Pacquiao and pressing him to prove his allegations while the boxer-senator is in the United States. That way, Rodriguez said, he will not be unduly distracted while he is training for his prize fight abroad. Rodriguez believes that stressing Pacquiao with problems, no matter how important, may reduce his chances of winning his boxing match.

The investigation of alleged corruption in the country’s bureaucracy is a matter of serious national interest. As far as Rodriguez is concerned, however, the national interest must take a back seat to a Pacquiao victory in the boxing ring.

Rodriguez used to be a level-headed congressman. Perhaps it’s time for him to get his head examined. Pacquiao’s victory in his boxing match abroad may be important for boxing enthusiasts like Rodriguez, but it has absolutely nothing to do with Pacquiao’s duties as a legislator. His boxing match abroad is and remains a private activity from which he expects to make plenty of money for himself.

At any rate, since Pacquiao created quite a mess at home, he should have resolved that mess before he left for his private money-making activity abroad. Rodriguez should be reminded that the criticism of a public official like Pacquiao is a public right. It should not be set aside, even temporarily, just to ensure that a senator who spends more time preparing for a boxing match than doing legislative work will succeed in his money-making venture abroad, which has nothing to do with his public duties in the first place.

From all indications, it looks like Rodriguez is now one among the many Filipinos who irresponsibly equate boxing proficiency with competence as a legislator. Tsk, tsk.

“Pacquiao is angry because he had always assumed that his fame as a boxing champion will be enough reason for the PDP-Laban to anoint him as the party’s presidential bet.

“Rodriguez should be reminded that the criticism of a public official like Pacquiao is a public right.