By Dharel Placido
ABS-CBNnews
MANILA – Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao remains coy about which political party he will join in the 2016 polls, but added it would be embarrassing if he will not support fellow Mindanaoan, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte.
In an interview with dzMM on Saturday, Pacquiao said he is still studying his options, as several political parties await his decision on which senatorial ticket to join.
”Lahat naman sila ay balanced. They are talking to me, kumbaga pinag-aaralan ko rin ng mabuti,” the former world boxing champion said.
Pacquiao, however, said he would be hard put not to support Duterte of the PDP-Laban, in case the tough-talking mayor eventually decides to run.
”If Duterte runs – he is from Mindanao – it’s kind of an embarrassment sa kanya na hindi ako mag-suporta sa kanya kung sakaling tumakbo siya,” he said.
Duterte, who has yet to make a final decision about his 2016 plans, ranked 4th (11%) in the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) presidential survey, next to Mar Roxas (20%), Jejomar Binay (24%), and Grace Poe (26%).
In the latest Pulse Asia survey, Duterte also ranked 4th (16%), behind Binay (19%), Roxas (20%), and Poe (26%).
Duterte has been giving mixed signals about his 2016 plans. His political adviser, Lito Banayo, said on Saturday the mayor will give his final announcement soon, with the filing of certificates of candidacy set next week.
Pacquiao said he continues to seek advice on which party to support, but stressed that joining the Duterte ticket is the more logical choice.
”Nanghihingi pa ako ng advice sa ibang tao kung anong dapat gawin dahil siyempre kung susuporta ako sa iba and Duterte is running – he is from Mindanao… [people will ask] ‘Why don’t you support a Mindanaoan?”’ he said.
Aside from his mass appeal which could draw in massive crowds during campaign sorties, another reason why the boxing icon is attracting political parties is his good standing in pre-election surveys.
In the SWS survey, Pacquiao was ranked 9th (30%), while in Pulse Asia, he landed in the 7th to 11th places (39.6%).
Pacquiao graced the launch of the opposition United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) of Vice President Jejomar Binay.
However, things seems to have changed between Binay and Pacquiao. On October 7, when asked if Pacquiao will still join his party, Binay said: “Next question please.”
The administration Liberal Party is also waiting for Pacquiao’s decision, even postponing the announcement of its senatorial slate scheduled last Friday.
‘BIGGER RESPONSIBILITIES’
Pacquiao announced his senatorial bid last Monday, but it did not sit well with some who prefer that he stay away from politics.
His frequent absences at the House of Representatives have been cited by critics as one reason why he may not do well as a senator.
In the dzMM interview, Pacquiao stressed again that he recognizes the bigger tasks he will have to face in case he wins a Senate seat in 2016.
”Kaya po ako natagalan mag-desisyon para tumakbo, dahil dyan sa konsiderasyon na ang posisyon bilang senador ay hindi biro, kailangan ng full time, na talagang focus,” he said.
Pacquiao said he is ready to retire, with just one more fight left in his contract with promoter Bob Arum.
That fight could be with Amir Khan who, on Saturday, said he believes that there is a “75 percent” chance a big money fight with the Filipino champion will happen.
(Rody with Manny. Photo by Kiwi Bulaclac)
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