He was a topnotch absentee in the House of Representatives as well as in the Senate. He has treated being a duly elected lawmaker as a mere sideline. He continues to draw all the emoluments, perquisites, and pork barrel of his position while pursuing almost full-time his boxing career. The Philippine government has also accused him of being a tax cheat.
Against this backdrop, I can only marvel at where Manny Paquiao gets the temerity to harbor thoughts of running for president.
In his recent kerfuffle with President Duterte over corruption in the present administration, Pacquiao claims that he is neither a liar nor corrupt. I beg to disagree.
Let me hasten to add that I am not taking Mr. Duterte’s side on the matter. I believe Pacquiao’s claim that corruption in government is rampant. Pacquiao, however, is subliminally accusing Mr. Duterte of corruption. This is a textbook case of the pot calling the kettle black.
CARNELL S. VALDEZ
nellvaldez@yahoo.com