By Ronnie Nathanielsz
Filipino ring idol Manny Pacquiao said yesterday he hadn’t decided as yet whether he should run for public office amidst a swirl of stories that he plans to seek the mayoralty of his hometown, General Santos City or run for a seat in the House of Representatives.
In a brief telephone conversation with Viva Sports/Manila Standard Today, Pacquiao said “I will decide next week and make an announcement.” However, Pacquiao said that should he decide to run it will “of course be in GenSan not Manila” where he registered as a voter some months ago.
Pacquiao said he would leave for Macau on Monday or Tuesday next week to finalize plans with Top Rank Promoter Bob Arum for the planned April 27 clash with WBC featherweight champion In Jin Chi of South Korea,
In the meantime there’s a growing plea by fight fans and the public for Pacquiao to shun politics particularly at the prime of his career and to continue to bring honor and glory to the country by fighting for the next two or three years.
A poll conducted on the popular Philboxing.com website which posed the question “Do you think its right for MP to run as Mayor?” was overwhelmingly against his running with 80 percent saying ”No” and a mere 5 percent voting “Yes.” 15 percent were in favor of giving Pacquiao a chance.
One fan on the Pacland Forum said “this is the worst decision Manny Pacquiao has made” while another fan “Manny Pacquiao is a boxer and not a politician” even as several others bitterly criticized the people around Pacquiao and the politicians who use him.
