Aug.

4,2009
Manny Pacquiao Should Shun Politics
By Quirico M. Gorpido,
Jr.

Maasin City, Southern Leyte-Manny Pacquiao, an obscure man in the past, but now
shines like a gem in the world of boxing as champions in 4 different divisions,
should not and must not enter politics. He should take heed to the advice of his
mother, relatives and fans. Whoever advises Manny Pacquiao to enter politics is
not actually helping him. He /she would be leading him to a potentially
unredeemable downfall. Manny himself must also recognized that academically and
educationally he is not qualified, whether he would accept it or not. This is an
advice of concern from one of his fans. Most of his fans think that he should not
enter politics and must remain as a boxing icon, being the only Asian who wins in
4 various weight divisions (including the 3 successive wins in his career within a
year in 2008).
He must be proud of this achievement of course, but not to the extend of
entering the political arena, where he knows nothing yet about governance.Pacquiao
can serve and help the poor Filipinos if he really wants too without tainting
himself with dirty politics. This is one of the things that he must avoid
venturing into, for it’s not sure hit for him. With his millions and millions of
money he can create jobs that would generate employment and preferably hire the
poor and jobless people where his businesses are established. There’s no need for
him to enter politics, which he is not prepare to face this strange area. He must
be satisfied in what he has already accomplished.
It would be better for him now to continue his study in Business Management and
his English language tutoring and to engage in marketing and in other business
activities to improve his skill in business endeavor. With his vast money
deposits, he can now provide for a good quality education for his children.
Courses like Medicine, Science and Technology, Education, Aeronautics,
Engineering, Architecture, Music and Arts, Commerce, Military Service, Foreign
Service and Journalism are among recommendable college courses that his children
can now choose because Pacquiao has the big means and can well afford for the good
future of his children
To start disciplining also his children as part of nurturing and raising his
family and showing a good example for them would lead them to become good and
productive citizens of this country in the future. In these things should Manny
Pacquiao must focus his attention, time and effort after retiring from boxing.
Since he is already recognized as a popular pound-for-pound fighter and is chosen
as the Man of the Year 2008 by the Philippines Sportswriters Association, he is
now in turn a legend in the field of boxing. Is he not contended and satisfied
with this kind of hard-earned benchmark and accolades bestowed upon him?
On the other hand, if Pacquiao really is seriously interested in serving the
country as a politician, he must prepare himself by taking a 4-year course in
Public Administration and a 4-year-course in law. This is because one of the works
of a Congressman or Senator in Congress is to legislate and enact laws. But this
will take another long years of dedication and devotion for Manny before he could
finish these courses. In the Philippines our kind of politics is tainted with
irregularities and anomalies that will most likely would also taint his name as
former champion boxer.
If Manny Pacquiao is sensitive enough to perceive the reason why some
politicians and businessmen want him to run as Congressman, is that they are only
riding on his popularity status. They seem not to look into consideration how the
low-graded boxer would fare in his uncharted and unknown course. The only way that
Manny can keep his name untainted by political maneuverings and irregularities is
to keep away from politics’ temptive prodding and urgings. Those political
paddings of condescension and sweet talks are just a passing scene and will vanish
in the air after the political campaign sorties. It would be much better for him
also to save his millions from being wasted in a political exercise where he has a
very slim chance of winning. This is an advice of concern from a fan.
Furthermore, if any Filipino citizen really wants to serve his country, he/she
must prepare himself/herself to any position in the Government Service by taking
one or two 4-year college courses needed and required in a government positions
he/she is planning to occupy. I don’t think that any position in the Government
Service is just a joke that anybody will just be allowed to run even without
meeting first the necessary requirements and qualifications. To run for any
government position should not be a product of an actor’s,actress’or any other
Filipino’s whims and caprices but of being and having prepared for such positions
by finishing a 4-year college course or courses. A simple law stating that able to
read and write and a natural born Filipino citizen are enough requirements for
those who want to run for President or any position in the Government Service must
be amended now.
This kind of such a very simple law is no longer workable and acceptable in
our modern times. The current age of space travel, state-of –the-art gadgets,
modern communication facilities, sophisticated weapons of destruction, cellphones
and computer-internet connections has shrank the distances of millions of miles
among nations by just a cellphone call or a computer-internet click which cause
for the transformation of all nations into global communities and global
villages.(Copyright 2009 byQuirico M. Gorpido,Jr.)