Wenceslao: End of the line

Wenceslao: End of the line

It wasn’t the defeat that the trolls, who have been hounding Manny Pacquiao since he showed by his actions his intention to run for President in 2022, expected. Instead of ridiculing him, the sporting world wrapped accolades around the boxing legend. The thousands in attendance gave him a standing ovation while the millions who watched the fight on pay-per-view were obviously teary eyed.

Trolls, whether the kind paid by the team of President Duterte or not, know only vulgarity. The true boxing fan embraces the meaning of respect. If that fight in Las Vegas was truly the last for Pacman, boxing fans only have appreciation for the close of his legendary career. The unanimity of that appreciation pushed the trolls to the periphery where they should stay forever.

In this sense, Pacquiao was right in making that one last fight. We know what his real intention was in doing it. A run for the presidency needs a lot of money and the man makes billions (of pesos) for just a single outing. The icing on the cake there was that Pacquiao was showered with accolades everywhere. That is a bigger capital that Team Pacquiao needs to spread out until election day in May.

I lean towards the presidential bid of Vice President Leni Robredo if she finally announces it, but I am not against the others, as long as they are not named Duterte. I won’t ever take lack of education as a big deal against Pacquiao. The framers of the constitution apparently didn’t, either, or they would have put it as a qualification for those who intend to run for President.

There is one claim, though, that I am not prepared to latch on to. When Pacquiao had his hands wrapped, he wore (intentionally I would say), a t-shirt with the words “man of destiny” printed in front. That is the campaign slogan concocted by Team Pacquiao. But destiny is not something any man can grab. Rather, destiny chooses the shoulder it would settle on to.

Is Pacquiao destined to be President of this country? That is something that Sara Duterte, the President’s daughter, would vehemently take exception to. Sara is topping surveys as of the moment. But even that is not an assurance that she will be our President next year.

By the way, Team Duterte’s plan for next year’s polls seems to be getting clearer by the day. Sara will run for President separately from her father, preferably with a billionaire (would that be Win Gatchalian?). The President will run for Vice President with Sen. Bong Go as running mate. Go, will, as usual be the sacrificial lamb. With Sara leading in the presidential survey and the President leading in the vice presidential survey, the goal is to have a daughter and father tandem in Malacañang.

If this happens, the country will have, for the first time, a dynasty on top. Yet ours is supposed to be a representative democracy and not a monarchy. This is one more reason why the Constitution needs an overhaul. Or is it our political mindset that needs to be revisited? Wherever the flaw exists, we should find it fast.

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