Absentee for president?

Considering that he is a topnotch absentee in the House of Representatives, I can only marvel at where Manny Pacquiao gets the temerity and the gall to reveal to Agence France-Presse in a recent interview in Macau, that he harbors thoughts of running for president when he hangs up his gloves.

Pacquiao treats his being a duly elected representative as a mere sideline. As a member of Congress, he draws all the emoluments, perquisites and pork barrel while unabashedly pursuing almost full-time his boxing career. If this is not akin to, or out-and-out, corruption, it is dishonesty of the worst kind.

Pacquiao is deluded by the impression created by the foreign press that we Filipinos see him as some kind of god. He however concedes that being elected to the presidency is God’s will.

Well, I say, President Pacquiao? God forbid!

—CARNELL VALDEZ,

nellvaldez@yahoo.com