He may have Vice President Jejomar’s support, but his Congress colleagues are questioning the fact that he’s always absent.
“Saying that his frequent absences at the Lower House should be a gauge of how he would perform as a senator, Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao’s colleagues in Congress expressed their misgivings about the eight-division world boxing champion’s reported plan to run in the senatorial slate of the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) in the 2016 elections,” report JC Bello Ruiz and Ben R. Rosario in Manila Bulletin.
Isabela Rep. Rodito Albano—who happens to be one of the few solons who have maintained a near-perfect attendance in the House—said, “(Pacquiao) should quit his day job.”
Eastern Samar Rep. Ben Evardone, a Liberal Party member, quipped, “Senate work is a full-time job.”
For his part, Ifugao Rep. Teddy Baguilat stated, “One cannot concentrate on so many things. He still has a term left for congressman.”
Meanwhile, CIBAC PartyList Rep. Sherwin Tugna said, “His record in Congress will speak for itself.”
As for Speaker Sonny Belmonte, he revealed, “I don’t see him. So, it’s hard to rate (Pacquiao’s Senate bid).”
The report noted: “Apart from his job as a lawmaker, Pacquiao has a myriad of undertakings at the moment, including a fight against unbeaten American Chris Algieri in Macau this November and his debut in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) this month where he will be the playing coach of expansion team Kia. Pacquiao also owns businesses and prime real estate here and abroad.”
Screengrab from a Bandila news clip
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