Election body should declare Pacquiao ‘nonserious and a nuisance’

Manila: A complainant asked an election body to declare world famous boxer Congressman Manny Pacquiao as a nuisance senatorial candidate in 2016, for his bad “pattern of absenteeism” at the House of Representatives in 2013 and 2014, but the complainant could not pay the required fees for his disqualification complaint to be assessed legally.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) should declare Pacquiao a “nonserious and nuisance candidate” even if he is rich and could afford to spend for a nationwide campaign, said Ferdinand Sevilla, a resident of Makati, the country’s financial district.

Sevilla has not returned to Comelec’s office on Friday to pay the filing fee of P10,000 (Dh833.33), a requirement of Comelec for the docketing of complaints against political candidates.

Pacquiao “has not retired from professional boxing, he cannot guarantee he will avoid absenteeism and will conscientiously attend to his mandated task of legislating if elected to the upper chamber of Congress,” argued Sevilla whose petition was released by Comelec sources.

The boxer’s filing of certificate of candidacy for senator in the 2016 national elections, “comprises a sheer and shameless mockery of the election process,” argued Sevilla.

Pacquiao attended a total of seven days out of 70 session days at the House of Representatives from January 20 to December 2014, Sevilla said.

The boxer attended 108 out of 168 session days at the House of Representatives in 2013, said Sevilla.

“While Pacquiao was consistently absent to train for his boxing bout, shoot his television programmes, or shoot hoops in basketball games, he was denying his constituents representation,” argued Sevilla.

Pacquiao is also a coach of Mahindra Enforcers, a team of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He has a scheduled bout abroad in 2016, said Sevilla, citing the activities of the boxer who wants to be a senator next year.

Pacquiao is one of the senatorial candidates of opposition United Nationalist Alliance which is led by Vice-President Jejomar Binay who is aspiring for the presidency in 2016.

Pacquiao is one of the most popular senatorial candidates, according to surveys done by private groups.