Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Nicolas Torre III won by default after acting Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte did not show up in a charity boxing match on Sunday, July 27, that generated over P20 million in donation and ticket sales.

With the song “Eye of the Tiger” as a background, Torre jogged towards the boxing ring set up inside the Rizal Memorial Coliseum in Manila after four undercard fights featuring boxers from the PNP Boxing Team.

The crowd cheered after Torre entered the boxing ring and showed his fighting moves which he himself described before as not as sharp as when he was still a member of the PNP Academy boxing team.

The crowd later joined the ring announcer in the countdown for Baste to show up.

“Your winner, General Nicolas Torre III!,” the ring announcer declared after the countdown ended.

As a token for the one who would emerge as a winner, former senator and boxing icon Manny Pacquiao donated a championship belt—which Torre received and said he would auction later for the benefit of the typhoon victims.

Matter of credibility

It was Baste who mentioned about a fistfight with Torre in one of his podcasts—a statement which was accepted by the Chief PNP but said it should be turned into a charity boxing match for the benefit of the calamity victims.

While the camp of Torre has started preparing for the bout, Baste issued a statement demanding that he would fight if President Marcos and all the elected officials would undergo a drug test.

On Friday, or two before the fight day set by Torre, Baste was reported to have left for Singapore.

Baste, however, issued another statement that he would fight Torre between Tuesday to Friday this week.

But Torre is no longer interested.

“Everybody saw the big effort that we put into this (charity boxing). I don’t think he is worth responding to at this point in time. Let’s just leave him in his world,” said Torre during the post-event interview.

“I don’t think there is still logic in anything he would say anymore. Ang credibility kase parang maloko mo ako one time, shame on you, maloko mo ako dalawang beses, shame on me. (The credibility is like fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice shame on me.”

“I am not like his supporters whom he could fool all the time,” he emphasized.

Multi-million bout

Following his declaration as the winner, Torre said the PNP has already received around P16.3 million in cash donations from various sponsors.

Torre said two tons of relief goods were also donated to the PNP in support of the charity boxing match, which he said is all worth around P4.2 million.

As to the ticket sales, Torre said it generated around P350,000.

“We will be donating all the proceeds to all our kababayan affected by the typhoon, In fact, we will be going to Baseco (Manila) later to deliver assistance,” said Torre.

The donations, he said, will be coursed through some agencies and organizations like the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Philippine Red Cross.

Immaterial

When Baste started making what other people described as "impossible demands”, Torre appeared to have already sensed that the former was not interested in fighting.

This was further bolstered by the report that Baste flew to Singapore on Friday, July 25.

But Torre said the event must go since a number of sponsors already committed cash and goods donations.

And when Baste started talking again about the rescheduling of the fight, Torre was already cold to any proposal.

“Imaterial naman talaga naman sya e. Hindi naman sya ang may control ng mga nangyayari dahil maraming bagay bagay na hindi niya kontrolado, bunganga nya nga hindi nga makontrol e. (He is really immaterial. He has no control of any event because there are things that are beyond our control. He cannot even control his mouth,” said Torre.