Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao’s colleagues in the House of
Representatives are urging him to think twice before running for senator
in the 2016 elections, warning that his possible election to the Senate
is “tantamount to exiling him to perdition.”
AKO Bicol party-list Rep. Rodel Batocabe and MAGDALO party-list Rep.
Francisco Ashley Acedillo cautioned Pacquiao against running for
senator, after Vice President Jejomar Binay declared that the
eight-division world boxing champion is ripe to join the Upper Chamber.
“Pacquiao can run and might even win as senator, but the job is not
suited for him. Pacquiao’s talents and achievements are more relevant
to positions that will inspire and unify our people to action just
like Katniss’ role in the Hunger Games-Mockingjay movie. We
will be doing a great disservice to Pacquiao and the country if we put
him in the Senate where the gift of gab and not jab is the main
qualification,” Batocabe said in an interview.
“Besides, electing Pacquiao to the Senate is tantamount to exiling
him to perdition. As I am sure, for an action man like Pacquiao who
prefers to talk less, his six-year term will be the saddest chapter of
his life,” he warned.
Recognizing that being a senator is a Herculean task, Acedillo asked
Pacquiao to first discern if whether or not he should spend less time on
boxing and other activities and concentrate on lawmaking.
“My question is this: Are we ready to let go of him as our boxing and
national icon and come to terms with him as a full-time politician?
Because as far as I understand, he cannot excel in one without spending
less time on the other,” he pointed out in a separate interview.
Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. also agreed with his colleagues that
before Pacquiao decides to run for senator, he should first show his
seriousness on lawmaking by consistently attending the plenary sessions.
“For us ordinary mortals, that would be true,” he said in a text message.
But, Akbayan party-list Rep. Walden Bello and Deputy Minority Leader
and Isabela Rep. Rodito Albano said the ball is in the hands of the
electorate and that Pacquiao should not be hampered to seek higher post.
