A national columnist reacted to the proposal of Senator Koko Pimentel to exempt Manny Pacquiao’s earnings from his Floyd Mayweather fight. He opined that the Pacman may have brought great honor to the country, yet it is not reason enough to exempt him from sharing in the burden of uplifting this country from need.
I, too, am against the idea.
We can honor and recognize Pacquiao is so many ways, but not by saving him from the intense scrutiny of Kim Henares.
Almost every Filipino forks in a little of what he has to the coffers of the government. Even a minor, when he buys an item that is subject to VAT, contributes.
So why not make Manny give a small part of his humongous income in the May 2 boxing extravaganza to fatten the piggy bank of the government?
It may also be a good way by which the congressman can pay back to the government for his salaries and allowances received from the government, despite being absent from his work most of the time.
I do not think that the “People’s Champion” is asking for this favor. Sen. Pimentel is doing this on his own, hopefully, with the best of intentions. I do not think that the good senator is doing this as a political stunt to assure his reelection, if his term is ending by 2016.
He is too well-schooled for that.
Anyway, all of us, including Sen. Koko, are looking forward to one of the greatest fights in history. Calls to mind the Ali-Frazier, Ali-Foreman, Leonard-Hearns, Leonard-Hagler and other great fights in the history of boxing which decided once and for all who was the better boxer.
The May 2 fight will, however, be the richest so far.
If all the drama for the years that the fight was concocted was all hype, to increase the ante, then both boxing promoters involved in the fight are very good salesmen and businessmen, rolled into one.
Do you also realize that the two protagonists are both certified millionaires, even if we use the US dollar as the currency of measure?
On May 2, the Philippines will be like the USA during the Superbowl. Everything will be at a standstill.
Those who love boxing would not dare miss watching the fight. We all know that the next great one will be long in coming. Even a rematch would not be as exciting as the first one.
Those who like the Pacman, including Senator Koko, would not dare miss the opportunity to be able to witness what could be the greatest moment for our boxing idol.
Even if you are not a boxing fan or an admirer of Manny Pacquiao, you should also be watching the fight. Because if the Pambansang Kamao wins the fight, then you should be in one with the rest of our countrymen, here and abroad, in savoring the only moment in our history when all of us feel united as one people, one nation and one country.
Just be prepared for the next day’s reality when everything goes back to normal.
Mamasapano massacre, PDAF, DAP, MRT breaking down, congested airports and the rest of the problems that seem never to go away. All of these will be in limbo for a few hours on fight day. (Actually, May 3 here in our time zone.)
This is probably the greatest service that Congressman Pacquiao can give to us — he makes us proud to be Filipinos, even for just a few moments.
Even for that, the greatest Filipino boxer should not be exempt from paying taxes for his income.
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