This letter has been writing itself ever since I started taking notice of Manny Pacquiao’s perceived extravagant lifestyle. His apparently inordinate flaunting of his wealth and riches, as often reported in the media, has not escaped my attention as a keen observer of the contemporary scene.
Pacquiao is said to own luxurious mansions here and abroad—in Mindanao, in Forbes Park, Makati, in Los Angeles, California. He is reported as owning a fleet of luxury cars. I understand that he owns a private jet. (Does he also own a yacht?)
Now, Pacquiao is a congressman and, hence, a public officer. As such, he and all other public officers are mandated by the 1987 Constitution to “at all times lead modest lives” (Sec. 1, Art. XI).
Now rich and famous, with his lavish display of his fabulous wealth, Pacquiao does not appear to me as leading a modest life. And that’s the bottom line.
—BARTOLOME C. FERNANDEZ JR.,
retired senior commissioner,
Commission on Audit