Pacman targets 100% attendance

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – Boxing icon and incoming senator Manny Pacquiao is aiming for a perfect attendance at the Senate after posting the worst attendance record at the House of Representatives.

Pacquiao barely attended sessions at the House because of his boxing training. The representative of the lone district of Sarangani province attended sessions only four times in 2014.

Pacquiao, who is here to meet with incoming president Rodrigo Duterte, said he has decided not to join the Philippine contingent to the Rio Olympics to focus on his job as senator.

“I did not accept the offer to join the Olympics. I am about to start (my stint as senator). I am excited to work and then I won’t show up again. It would be embarrassing to those who elected me if I don’t show up in the first month of my service,” Pacquiao told reporters yesterday at the Almendras Gym.

“The responsibility (at the Senate) is different from the one in Congress, which only covers districts. In the Senate, it’s nationwide.

“If I can achieve a perfect (attendance), why not? There’s no problem,” he added.

Despite his absenteeism, Pacquiao managed to get the seventh highest number of votes in the senatorial race with 16.05 million.

Pacquiao could not say though if his fight with Bradley was his last.

“We’re not thinking of that yet. For now, my focus is my work,” he said when asked if he still plans to have one more bout before he really retires from boxing.

Pacquiao has authored and co-authored four laws in his six-year stint as Sarangani representative.

He is the author of a law creating a regular district office of the Land Transportation Office in his province.

Pacquiao is also the co-author of a law that expands the coverage of incentives given to national coaches and athletes; a measure that promotes entrepreneurship and financial literacy program among the youth; and a law declaring Sept. 1, the founding anniversary of North Cotabato, a special non-working holiday in the province.

Pacquiao said he is trying to learn the ropes of legislation. He would take a course on the legislature in June. He has been attending a course on legislation and governance at the state-run Development Academy of the Philippines since 2010.

Pacquiao said he would focus on legislation that would benefit the poor, including the giving of free education to students with financial constraints.

Pacquiao also said he wants to be the chairman of the Senate committee on games, amusements and sports.

Pacman to meet Rody

When asked why he is meeting Duterte, Pacquiao said he would like to express support to the incoming president.

“I will convey my support to his advocacies that seek to promote change in the country,” he said.

Pacquiao was part of the senatorial ticket of the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA), the party of Vice President Jejomar Binay who lost to Duterte in the presidential race.

Asked if he would move to Duterte’s party Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban), Pacquiao said “I am originally from PDP.” 

“If that would be the way to express support for Digong (Duterte’s nickname) why not? But why would we think of parties? What is important is to think of change, to support the new administration,” he explained.

Pacquiao also said he is not worried about being called a political butterfly. He said while he was one of those who encouraged Duterte to run, he did not leave the camp of Binay because he had already promised to support the Vice President.

Pacquiao supported Binay after Duterte had declared that he was not running for president. Pacquiao had already joined UNA when Duterte changed his mind and decided to run for president.