VANCOUVER – I hope there was no truth to reports that Sa­rangani congressman Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao grudgingly told pundits who interviewed him before the May 10 elections that “he was not running for represen­tative but for congressman.” Just in case the rumors were not true, of course, his official title now that he has been proclaimed as duly elected winner over Roy Chiongbian, is “Representative”.

Since Pacquiao will “repre­sent” the lone district of Saran­gani Province in Mindanao in the Lower House of the Philippine Congress, he can be conveniently referred to as “Congressman” or “Congressperson.”

Congress has both the Upper and Lower Houses. The Upper House is composed of senators. Since Con­gress is a third branch of govern­ment in charge of legislating the laws, Pacquiao can also be called as “lawmaker” or “solon” (named after the popular Greek law­maker). Aside from being an in-demand prizefighter in the world today, Pacquiao’s major concern now is how to draft resolutions and laws—introducing and de­fending them on the rostrum; and in doing so, prepare himself for gut-wrenching and grueling interpellations from both the pros and cons of his resolutions and proposed laws.

He must also attend in various committee hearings or preside over some committees to be as­signed him for his possible chair­manship by the House Speaker.
In other words, his new job demands that he open his mouth and participate in chaotic floor deliberations. Pacquiao will have his hands really full and his gargantuan re­sponsibilities as “congressman” or “representative” will definitely dwarf the stress and upheavals of his upcoming 12-round battle against Floyd Maywearther Jr. tentatively on November 13.

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When Pareng Erap was run­ning for president in 1998, all sorts of disparaging but humor­ous tomfooleries--real or fabri­cated--surfaced in mass media even after he was already elected; and the whole cacophony had been summed up in the so-called “Eraption Jokes.”

Sometimes, jokes—or being labeled as comedian—work won­ders for publicity purposes and political gimmickry. Look, didn’t Pareng Erap wound up second to President-elect Noynoy Aquino despite all the brickbats he got from being a “womanizer” and “gambler” and despite having been convicted of plunder?

It is not unusual for an active professional boxer to win a seat in the national legislature. Because elections in the Philip­pines are based on popularity and name recall (this is the so-called “abnormality” in the electoral system that reformists like Fran­ciso Tatad had been wanting to reform), it was not far-fetched for Manny Pacquiao to wrap up the congressional dispute over the unknown scion of Chiongbian clan given his global status as icon in fight business.

In Europe, pornographic stars, magicians, neurotics and loan sharks were even elected into par­liament. Voters don’t care; they don’t give a hoot about the back­ground and reputations of certain candidates as long as they believe that these ruffians can deliver the goods once they have been en­trusted with public office.
For the meantime, let us give Congressman Pacquiao the ben­efit of the doubt to prove his worth as lawmaker. Who knows, having been exposed in the rigors of real “public service” as international sports celebrity and having expe­rienced “grace under pressure” in actual physical combat, he might prove his critics wrong.
After all, a man’s sincerity to serve his countrymen through public service is measured by the quality of his intention, not how good he is in speaking the King’s English.

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