Pacquiao urged to avoid boxing during political campaign

BACOLOD CITY: Just like any movie star barred from making films while seeking elective office, Manny Pacquiao will also have to refrain from entering the boxing ring during his campaign for a Senate seat in the May elections, Election Commissioner Rowena Guanzon said.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) official said on Sunday that Pacquiao may have to face the consequences if he violates the Fair Election Act.

Pacquiao, a senatorial candidate under the United Nationalist Alliance (Una) of vice-president Jejomar Binay, is set to fight Timothy Bradley in Las Vegas on April 9, exactly a month before the May elections.

The Sarangani representative has said he is willing to postpone his fight with Bradley if it would infringe on election campaign rules, but he is nevertheless continuing his training for the much awaited event in Las Vegas.

“They say he’s going to have a boxing match. He can, of course, box. That is his privilege, but if he shows his boxing match (on TV) here, in my opinion, it will have consequences on his candidacy,” Guanzon said.

“I don’t want to pre-empt the commission. In my opinion, it will have consequences. Let’s see if he will decide to have a match and air it here,” she added.

Guanzon said the media exposure Pacquiao would get from the fight would unfairly boost his candidacy, comparing the boxing champ with movie actors running for office whom she said were not supposed to show their movies during the campaign.

“That’s unfair. Newscasters, if they run, they go on leave because that would be unfair to the other candidates. That is the intent of the law,” she said.

Comelec earlier said it would look into the possible violation of election rules should the Pacquiao-Bradley match push through.

But Comelec chairman Andres Bautista said he preferred to act on complaints filed against Pacquiao rather than having the poll body act unilaterally on its own.

Last week, independent senatorial candidate and former Akbayan representative Walden Bello asked the Comelec to compel Pacquiao to postpone the fight.

Bello filed a seven-page petition saying Pacquiao’s extensive media exposure from his fight would give the boxer undue advantage over the other candidates.

In the latest Social Weather Stations survey, Pacquiao and former Justice Secretary Leila de Lima were tied in eighth place.

Bello said advertisements during the fight alone would give Pacquiao exposure that exceeded the allowed airtime of 120 minutes in every television station and 180 minutes in every radio station, as provided for by the new implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of Republic Act No.9006, or the Fair Elections Act.

Comelec Resolution No.10049, or the IRR of RA 9006, prohibits showing publicly in a theatre, through a TV station or any public forum any movie, cinematography or documentary, including a concert or any type of performance, portraying the life or biography of a candidate.

The resolution also prohibits any radio, television, cable TV station, announcer or broadcaster from allowing any programme or sponsor to favour or oppose any candidate or party by repeatedly mentioning his name or his party.

Election lawyer Romulo Maca­lintal has argued that Pacquiao’s match against Bradley cannot be a ground to disqualify the champ as a senatorial candidate.

If there is any election offence defined under Philippine laws, it could not be invoked against Pacquiao because the fight will be held in Las Vegas, Macalintal said. — The Philippine Inquirer / Asia News Network