MANNY Pacquiao's lawyer dismissed Monday claims that the photograph of Congressman Monico Puentevella, being endorsed by his client when the latter visited him in Congress, was fake.
"...The photograph showing Congressman Monico Puentevella and Manny Pacquiao is authentic and genuine," lawyer Franklin Gacal Jr. said in a certification issued Monday, dismissing a front page story of the Leonardia family-owned and controlled paper, The Visayan Daily Star, a press statement from the MoNoPal Team, the closest and strongest rival of Grupo Progreso Team led by Mayor Evelio Leonardia.
The story drew riotous reactions from the MoNoPal Team, which noted that Mayor Leonardia is running out of gimmicks and publicity stunts, and failed to answer the "real" issues hurled against him in the campaign trail, the statement said.
"It's 101 percent authentic. Mr. Leonardia can ask the boxing great himself," replied Puentevella as he brushed aside allegations made by City Hall that the picture showing the pound-for-pound king raising his hand, an apparent gesture of the sports hero's endorsement to his mayoralty bid, is not authentic.
The congressman said, "If Mr. Mayor wants, I can give him the full details when the photos of me and Manny were taken; what time he reached Congress, where we had a photo session, and what the country's boxing icon's message to me for my mayoralty bid was."
"I thought it was Jinky who's getting jealous with Manny's endorsement of my bid for city mayor," continued Puentevella, who cannot contain his laughter over reports published by the Leonardia-controlled daily.
The Puentevella said there are other print and broadcast media institutions that are more than willing to carry truthful accounts on the election campaign about the "non-issue tomorrow and up to the finish."
"The Visayan Daily Star, in an apparent attempt to side-track Puentevella from the core issues of the campaign, on Monday, April 26, ran the poster, clearly with malicious intent, of the congressman and Pacquiao and quoted a source reportedly close to the boxing icon, as saying that the picture was a fake," the MoNoPal Team said.
The statement added: "He must have wanted that Pacquiao only endorse him. He may also ask Manny for it. But Pacquiao is nobody's exclusive property. He is a public figure and, Jinky and him are good friends to a lot of people. He is a real person, not fake, and a true friend without pretensions, who always looks forward to our live coverage over Bombo in his fights. I stood as godfather to Queen Elizabeth. I also have authentic pictures during her christening that I can show the people of Bacolod. I fear, however, that those photos may be branded fake as well by Mr. Leonardia. Being envious, our elders and Church leaders once taught us, is not a Christian virtue," added Puentevella, as his reaction elicited bigger laughs from reporters.
Puentevella continued: "They must have been very desperate these days. That is because we have been winning more leaders to our side. It should not be a surprise, therefore, that in the coming days they are coming out with empty and shallow attacks against us."
Mr. Leonardia must focus on real issues that up to now he, or his mouthpieces, had yet to answer. These include, among others, the kidnapping of two MoNoPal youth leaders by six of his campaigners last Wednesday night, April 21; where they brought the more than P1 billion in loans from three banking institutions, and the extravagant and excessive abuse of public funds by his administration.
"First, Mr. Leonardia and his propagandists wanted to make the temporary restraining order from the Makati RTC appear as fake, and today, it's my poster and calendar with Pacquiao and me. I'm wondering what's the next "fake" drama of Mr. Leonardia will be," Puentevella said.
"He wants more authentic pictures with Manny endorsing me? I have albums, film negatives, on CDs, video clips, name it he can have it. He can view all of these at home. Manny and I also have authentic photos when we were in the Beijing Olympics," added Puentevella, who served as the Philippines' chef de mission in the 2008 Summer Games.