The Philippine Commission on Elections on Monday said it would consider a complaint accusing boxing champion Manny Pacquiao of violating election regulations by promoting his upcoming fight in the thick of the campaign.
It was the latest blow to Pacquiao’s bid for the Philippine Senate after he drew global condemnation last week for describing gay people as “worse than animals.”
“The complaint will be discussed during the commission en banc meeting tomorrow [yesterday],” commission Chairman Andres Bautista told reporters.
Photo: EPA
Bautista said that Pacquiao’s promotion of his April fight with Timothy Bradley in Las Vegas was a “gray area,” given the cap on radio and TV airtime for candidates during the 90-day campaign period that started this month.
A rival senatorial candidate who has trailed Pacquiao in opinion polls, Walden Bello, filed the complaint against the boxing champion on Monday.
The most recent poll by Social Weather Stations put Pacquiao in eighth place in the race for 12 Senate seats up for grabs in May.
Bello said the poll body should determine whether Pacquiao’s TV appearances to promote the Bradley fight should be counted against the 120-minute TV airtime limit for the campaign.
“We want to know if this violates the equal time rule, because in our view, this will give overwhelmingly great hours to Pacquiao and put us at a tremendous disadvantage,” Bello told reporters.
Should the commission decide to count Pacquiao’s media blitz against his airtime limit, Bello suggested the boxer postpone the fight until after the elections.
Pacquiao’s Senate run is seen by his supporters and analysts as part of preparations for a possible presidential run.
While revered in the boxing ring for winning world titles in an unprecedented eight divisions, Pacquiao’s political track record has been lackluster.
Pacquiao is notorious for his absences in parliament, where he represents his wife’s impoverished home province of Sarangani.
In 2014, he attended only four congressional sessions and did not help pass a single law, with boxing training taking up most of his time.
Pacquiao’s anti-gay slur cost him a lucrative endorsement deal with US sportswear brand Nike, which called his comments “abhorrent.”
However, Pacquiao, a conservative Christian, stood by his comments even as he apologized for offending the gay community.
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