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Manila Bulletin devider Opinion devider Money Pacquiao

Money Pacquiao

Published Feb 3, 2022 12:05 am

MEDIUM RARE

Jullie Y. Daza

It’s hard not to find a Manny Pacquiao interview interesting, whatever point of the compass you may be at. He doesn’t use big words and frankly, he looks too nervous to be telling a lie. His artless style sounds appealing, coming from the man of the masses that he is.

I watched him, standing for two hours being grilled by a panel of four men, seated, and I could tell his answers would score big with viewers. Senator Manny Pacquiao looked most animated, appeared most relaxed when he talked about money — budgeting (which he learned growing up in a poor family, lest you forget), earning money and spending it or giving it away.

One of his interrogators asked how much he was giving away at every crowd event. He replied that back then, 20 years or so ago, it was ₱100 per beneficiary, until it became ₱200 and eventually ₱500. (The conversation was carried out mostly in Pilipino, which I have freely translated into English here.)

Q: How much now?

A: One thousand, things are much more expensive.

Q: And when you’re president of the Philippines — ?

A: Then I will be giving away houses!

In Metro Manila, the presidential candidate said, he will build condos for the homeless; in the provinces, he will build Pacman Village-style complexes.

Q: People might stop working once they have a house of their own.

A: That won’t happen. If you don’t work you don’t eat.

Senator Pacquiao, retired champion boxer, former congressman, avowed Christian and Scriptures-quoting celebrity, may be oversimplifying his approach to wiping out hunger and poverty, but it is the language that the hungry and the poor understand. His words resonate, his listeners are touched by what they feel is his sincerity.

He must overcome one bad habit, though. For this DZRH interview, he was late by 30 minutes. Another TV show was to have aired this week but the senator was late for the 2 p.m. tape-as-live interview. Director and crew had begun the set-up at 11 a.m., the hosts were ready before 2 p.m. When their subject finally walked in at 5:15 p.m., it was time to pack up.

Speaking of budgeting, time is gold, in Malacañang and out of it.

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