And The NEEEWWW Congressman From Sarangani Province, Manny Pacquiao!

Picture Michael Buffer saying this….

And NEW congressman from Sarangani Province, Manny Pacquiao!

TSS doesnt want to get all Dewey-Truman on you, but it looks like Pacman will conquer a new arena, the political one, with a victory over for Roy Chiongbian. Mondays election has Pacqauio, age 31, looking like a runaway winner, by a 3-to-1 or 2-to-1 margin, for the Philippine House of Congress. The polls are closed, as the time zone in the Philippines is 12 hours ahead of the Eastern (US) Time Zone. So…its all over but the counting. One must point out, that only in politics, are folks more nervous as they await results than in boxing. Judges are prone to screwups in the sweet science, and as we all learned in the 2000 Presidential runoff, voting machines, and paper ballots, can be manipulated.

When Pacman announced his run, naysayers pointed out that Chiongbians dad actually created the province, in 1992, and his mother was the Governor of Sarangani, while the family controls vast business interests, and an entrenched political machine which wouldnt be easy to best. So, a victory would be considered if not a shock, then a heady message as to the sway of the pugilistic icon.

There were accounts of disruptions at more than 80 polling places, including bombings, shootouts, kidnappings and the destruction of voting machines. There are approximately 223,000 voters in the province, and turnout looked to be considerable.
Promoter Bob Arum is with Manny, awaiting word on the final tally. He has indicated hes psyched for a Manny win, but reality must intrude. It isnt easy serving so many masters, and the people of the province will be tugging hard on Pacquiao if he wins. Serving God, his family, boxing, and the expectations of the people will not be easy. One wonders–will this foray into politics be a seed for his downfall? Could he simultaneously give enough of his sweat, blood and time to politics, while training to fight Floyd Mayweather, if Arum can get a deal done? Manny supposedly has to convince his mother Dionisia that a final bout, or a fight with Mayweather, makes sense at this juncture, so add that hurdle to the other bunch that Pacman must get over.

It must be noted–Congress in the Phillipines meets July 4th, for a session lasting thirty days or less. The President may call emergency sessions, special sessions, but the July term is the sole primary session in a calendar year. Meaning, Manny might be able to do the Congressional thing, and then turn his attention back to the fight game, in a semi seamless fashion…