As they say in showbiz, this was a total miscast.
Yesterday, neophyte Senator Manny Pacquiao was elected as the new chairman of the Senate Committee on Ethics. While there were reportedly no objections from the other senators, the boxer-slash-politician’s vocal critics are not having it.
As head of the committee, Pacquiao must oversee matters that have to do with the “conduct, rights, privileges, safety, dignity, integrity and reputation of the Senate and its members.”
Except everyone knows that Pacman doesn’t have the best reputation either, something netizens quickly pointed out.
Twitter user Frank Baraan wrote: “Pacquiao supports a tyrant’s brutal drug war; wants to legalize the death penalty; think LGBTs are worse than animals. And he’s the new chair of Senate Ethics Committee? Seriously? Pacquiao will just cherry-pick verses from his Bible whenever he has to make a decision on an issue!”
Pacquiao supports a tyrant’s brutal drug war; wants to legalize death penalty; think LGBTs are worse than animals.
And he’s the new chair of Senate Ethics Committee? Seriously?
Pacquiao will just cherry-pick verses from his Bible whenever he has to make a decision on an issue! https://t.co/guFKBBbeQv
— Francis Baraan IV (@MrFrankBaraan) September 18, 2018
Pacquiao is a supporter of President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs that has claimed 12,000 lives, according to the Human Rights Watch. It’s strange because he told Reuters that back when he was a teenager, he used to do “all kinds of drugs.”
Other than boxing, the devout born-again Christian is also known for his (often problematic) conservative views. In 2016, he was slammed for saying that gay people are worse than animals.
Another Twitter user @ogie_rosa stated: “Shortly after Mocha vowed to ‘actively guide’ Drew Olivar, Pacquiao was elected new Ethics Committee Chair to ‘guide’ the Senate in matters related to conduct and dignity. A homophobic bigot and an insensitive, hypocritical twit serving as ethical guides? God save us.”
Shortly after Mocha vowed to “actively guide” Drew Olivar, Pacquiao was elected new Ethics Committee Chair to “guide” the Senate in matters related to conduct and dignity.
A homophobic bigot and an insensitive, hypocritical twit serving as ethical guides? God save us.
— Ogie Rosa (@ogie_rosa) September 18, 2018
The netizen was referring to the recent incident involving Presidential Communications Operations Office Assistant Secretary Mocha Uson wherein she and her radio show co-host Drew Olivar made fun of sign language.
“OH SURE. PUT A BIGOT AS CHAIR OF THE ETHICS COMMITTEE,” exclaimed @starsinasyringe.
OH SURE. PUT A BIGOT AS CHAIR OF THE ETHICS COMMITTEE.
Pacquiao is new chair of Senate ethics committee https://t.co/tYldZuFNUp via @inquirerdotnet
— Alea | ᜇᜎᜓᜌᜓᜅ᜔ (@starsinasyringe) September 19, 2018
A user by the handle @DuterteWatchdog sarcastically wrote: “I find it great and totally logic to make a tax-evader, homophobe (worse than animals) and a supporter of death penalty chairman of a Senate committee on ethics. He is btw replacing Vincente “Pepsi Paloma” Sotto, another lighthouse of integrity and ethics.”
I find it great and totally logic to make a tax-evader, homophobe (worse than animals) and a supporter of death penalty chairman of a senate committee on ethics. He is btw.replacing Vincente Pepsi Paloma Sotto, another lighthouse of integrity and ethics. https://t.co/Z0oNHwHSCb
— Duterte Watchdog presents 😏 (@DuterteWatchdog) September 18, 2018
In June, Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III requested the Philippine Daily Inquirer, one of the country’s oldest newspapers, to remove articles related to a controversial rape case allegedly involving him. Before Pacquiao, he was the head of the ethics committee.
One netizen summed it all up with one Filipino curse word: Pota (Literally “whore” but in this context means “shit”).
Amen to that.
Potah https://t.co/j1DsYPpK2J
— Nonov Yurbiz (@NonovYurbiz) September 19, 2018
Apart from Pacquiao, other members of the ethics committee are Senators Panfilo Lacson, Gregorio Honasan II, Grace Poe, Risa Hontiveros, and Bam Aquino.
Between this and his planned rematch with Floyd Mayweather Jr., it looks like Pacman has got his plate full.
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