Pacquiao gives P1.5-M Cash, Goods in Dagupan

 By Mortz C. Ortigoza

 DAGUPAN CITY – World boxing icon and Philippines presidential candidate Manny Pacquiao barnstormed this premier city in the four provinces’ Region-1 by distributing one thousand five hundred pesos in cash and goods to each of the more or less one thousand grateful residents here.

He was seen at past four o’clock in the afternoon yesterday in front of the covered public plaza here giving P1,000 bill to each of the members of the marginalized sector who were cuddling already their bag with five kilos of rice and roasted chicken of Chook to Go.

P1.5 –M MANNA. Senator Manny Pacquio - one of the presidential candidates for the next year’s election - gives P1,000 cash, roasted chicken, and five kilos of rice to each of the 1,000 marginalized residents of Dagupan City when he whistles stop in the city yesterday. This newspaper estimated that the only eight division boxing world champion shelled out P1.5 million to all the gifts he distributed. He done the same act in Batangas province eight days ago. (Photo credit: Public Information Office of Dagupan City)

This newspaper estimated that with one thousand people benefiting the cash and the five hundred pesos’ worth of goods, it would be one million five hundred thousand pesos from the personal pocket of the only eight-division world champion in the history of boxing.

Politicians running for the national office have been seen ingratiating with the people of this city and the other forty-four towns and three cities’ mammoth province of Pangasinan because of its gargantuan more than two million voters – the third highest in the Philippines after Cebu and Cavite among the 81 provinces in the country.

Simultaneous with Pacquiao’s arrival here was the visit at Barangay Pagal, San Carlos City in Pangasinan of reelective Senator Joel Villanueva.

He graced with city Mayor Julier Resuello the payout of 131 Tupad beneficiaries.

Tupad includes but are not limited to kasambahays, angkas drivers, Grab drivers, jeepney and other public utility vehicle's drivers, carinderia owners, vendors, dishwashers, senior citizens fit to work, and independent contractors. However, individuals aged from 17 below are not allowed to apply under the Anti-Child Labor Law.

The boxing icon and the author. Both hailed from Mindanao thus they exchanged notes here in Cebuano.

"Invite ka ng media friends natin interview ko siya kanina sa program ko. Nagpapa invite pa ng ibang media (men),” Bombo Radyo-Dagupan Senior Executive Edmund Abubo told this newspaper about the Senator's concern to cover his visit - a brownie point for his reelection bid next year in the Senate.

In March this year, former Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano who aspired then to run for the presidency was seen giving grocery items and P500 cash to more or less 1,000 poor people who hailed from various villages in the bangus (milk fish) city.

Northern Watch Newspaper estimated that the cash and goods he doled out at P500 each too to be at a staggering P1,000,000.

“We were not given a stub by our barangay (village) official,” Joven Espino, a more than fifty years old mestizo and resident of one of the biggest villages here Pantal complained to the video of his Facebook page while panning with his mobile phone the roughly five hundred mostly members of the great unwashed who shoved and jostled with each other to avail of Pacquiao’s generosity but could not enter the locked gates of the plaza.

People have massed in the plaza as early as five o'clock in the morning for the scheduled distribution of cash and goods at two o’clock in the afternoon last Tuesday.

Pacquiao and entourage – many including pastors carried by a huge transport bus painted with his face, whole body, name, and slogans - arrived from Baguio City after lunch and proceeded to the office of Mayor Brian Lim.

The boxing icon, wife Jinkee, Pangasinan Fourth District Congressman Toff de Venecia, Councilor Celia Lim, and officials of the city stayed there for hours. Thereafter, the Sarangani Province resident proceeded to the second floor of the museum for a press conference with a bevy of national and local reporters.

“Granted, if you become Philippines’ president and former President Rodrigo Duterte is sued with the non-bailable murder cases in his narcotic’s war tokhang. Will you give him presidential pardon or you will allow him to rot in jail?” posed to him twice - because the boxing icon seemed not to comprehend it in English - by this writer who first asked the question among reporters there.

“Wala pa tayo sa mga bagay na iyan. Marami pang mga considerations diyan. At aaah.. at alam ninyo naman kung ano ang batas natin kailangan masunod iyan (We are not on that stage yet. We have many considerations there. And ahh... and you know what kind of laws we have that we have to follow),” he answered.

The world champion drew flack a week ago when he distributed cash and goods gratis in Batangas.

Air conditioned election campaign bus of Manny Pacquiao.

He defended it as he was doing it even before the filing of the certificate of candidacy (CoC) at the Commission on Election in the first week of October this year.

"Sabi niya hindi naman siya titigil na tumulong sa tao dahil lang ayaw ng ibang tao or binibigyan ng ibang kulay (He said he won't stop helping people just because some people are not in favor of it or just because some people are maligning it)," said lawyer Nikki de Vega, the senator's legal counsel and spokesperson. 

READ MY OTHER BLOG/COLUMN:

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MORTZ C. ORTIGOZA

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I am a twenty years seasoned Op-Ed Political Writer in various newspapers and Blogger exposing government corruptions, public officials's idiocy and hypocrisies, and analyzing local and international issues. I have a master’s degree in Public Administration and professional government eligibility. I taught for a decade Political Science and Economics in universities in Metro Manila and cities of Urdaneta, Pangasinan and Dagupan. Follow me on Twitter @totoMortz or email me at totomortz@yahoo.com.