Boxing icon-turned-neophyte senator Manny Pacquiao faced off with Senate veteran Pia Cayetano, as she questioned his push to create a new agency for boxing while the country still grappled with the coronavirus pandemic. 

During the hybrid plenary session on Tuesday, May 18, Pacquiao sponsored his pet measure, Senate Bill 2077, which sought to establish the Philippine Boxing and Combat Sports Commission.

He opened the plenary debates by saying that, despite the pandemic, there was still a “need to be proactive” and prepare for challenges and opportunities ahead for Philippine sports.

Pacquiao argued that, by creating a commission solely dedicated to boxers and combatants, their safety and welfare would be ensured. 

“Nakataya po lagi ang buhay ng isang boksingero o combat sports na ’pag lumalaban po, kahit sa preparation lang, talagang bugbugan na…. [Kailangang] masisigurado ’yung seguridad at proteksiyon nila. So I think this is the right idea to me, ha, based on my experience. I’ve been in this sport for almost 30 years,” said Pacquiao.

(The lives of boxers and combat sports athletes are always on the line whenever they fight. Even during their preparation, they already get beaten up…. We need to ensure their safety and protection. So I think this is the right idea to me, based on my experience. I’ve been in this sport for almost 30 years.)

This, however, was not enough for Cayetano, who argued there would be no need to create a new agency since the Games and Amusements Board (GAB) was already performing these functions.

“Given that there’s a high risk that every boxer and combat sport athlete subjects himself to, then my question is: then isn’t this being addressed by GAB? Because that’s the job of GAB. Isn’t it being addressed by GAB?” asked Cayetano.

Cayetano is no stranger to the struggles of athletes, having been known as an advocate for Philippine sports during her terms in the Senate and the House of Representatives. The senator is also a triathlete. 

Pacquiao, however, only repeated his previous answer about the general risks boxers and combatants have to face. 

Further pressed by Cayetano to be more specific about the supposed failures of GAB, Pacquiao said a new boxing agency should be created because GAB was handling too many other sports. 

“Ang dami pong hina-handle nila, hinawakan nila. Ito pong boxing po kasi kakaiba. Kailangan po ng focus dito kasi ’di po puwedeng magkamali dito sa sports na ito kasi buhay po ang nakataya,” replied Pacquiao. 

(They’re handling so many other sports. Boxing is different. There is a need to focus here because we can’t afford mistakes, as lives are on the line here.)

This exchange dragged on for several more minutes, with Cayetano asking for specific evidence of GAB’s alleged failure in performing its duties, and Pacquiao just giving the same general answers.

For Cayetano, the issue was basic: Pacquiao’s justification for his pet bill should be based on facts, because creating the new agency would entail a huge sum of money that could be used to boost the government’s COVID-19 response programs instead. 

An estimated P150 million is needed to set up the new boxing agency, should Pacquiao’s bill push through.

“Our basis has to be factual if we want to remove the powers over one sports [agency] and create another agency altogether. I mean, the creation of new agencies always has to be justified because there’s never enough resources,” said Cayetano.

This isn’t the first time Pacquiao struggled to convince senators to pass his pet bill. 

In 2017, during the 17th Congress, veteran Senate minority leader Franklin Drilon had also quizzed Pacquiao about the propriety of creating a new agency just for boxing and combat sports. 

It would take Pacquiao a whole two years of intense scrutiny before the Senate finally agreed to pass the measure – the first bill of the newbie senator to hurdle the upper chamber.  

But the measure did not become a law, so Pacquiao had to re-file the bill during the current Congress. 

Redundancy issue

Facing more questions from Cayetano on Tuesday, Pacquiao later changed his argument and instead cited SB 2077’s provisions guaranteeing pension and healthcare benefits for boxers and combatants.

“Marami na pong namatay na boxer, hindi lang isa, dalawa, tatlo, especially mga kasama ko, namatay po ‘yun. Ang tanong: May nakuha ba silang benepisyo? Wala po silang nakuhang benepisyo,” said Pacquiao.

(Many boxers have died, not just one, two, or three, especially among my colleagues. The question is: did they receive any benefits? They did not.)

But Cayetano pointed out that GAB already had an existing memorandum of understanding with the Department of Health to provide medical services to athletes.

If insufficient pension for retired athletes was the problem, then Cayetano said the Senate would be better off passing a bill creating a fund for that, instead of creating another agency. 

At this point, Pacquiao – who was joining the proceedings via Zoom – appeared to read from a script as he compared his bill to Presidential Decree No. 420 penned by the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos to create the Philippine Racing Commission (Philracom).

“The proposed measure has a similar situation with Philracom due to the complexity of horse racing. There was a need to add more focus on the sport. Former president Marcos issued PD 420 to create the Philippine Horse Racing Commission, which has different functions from the GAB,” said Pacquiao.

He also said that, in 2018, GAB released only P15,000 from the boxers’ welfare fund. 

Cayetano was still unconvinced. She asked Pacquiao to give his wishlist of benefits for Filipino boxers and combatants so the Senate could explore other ways to help them. 

Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri interjected and asked if the debates on SB 2077 could be suspended “to allow Senator Pacquiao to be able to gather and research answers for the lady senator from Taguig.”

Two more days

Cayetano’s heated interpellation of Pacquiao continued for two more session days, but she finally relented to end her questioning on Wednesday, May 26. 

In a bid to finally end the interpellation, Pacquiao first proposed just letting the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) decide on the amount to be allotted for the boxing commission. Cayetano, however, said the DBM would not allow a bill without a clear funding source to be passed by Congress.

Pacquiao then offered to help fund the boxing commission himself.
“Gastusin ko ‘yung pera ko, magtayo sa Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao para magkaroon ng opisina ang ating Philippine Boxing Commission,” said Pacquiao.

(I’ll spend my own money to put up offices in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao for the Philippine Boxing Commission.)

Cayetano then said that perhaps the boxing commission is better off funded privately instead. She joked that the other senators could help pitch in.

Just before declaring that she is ending her interpellation of Pacquiao, Cayetano reiterated that the creation of a new office during the pandemic is “an unnecessary expense.”

“But I would like to honor his desire to help the athletes whose sports he also loves, by number one, supporting his private fund, and I will ensure that these people on the floor contribute,” said Cayetano.

Her joke lightened the mood in the Senate session hall, as the senators could be heard laughing in the background. Zubiri then moved to end the period of interpellations for Pacquiao’s pet bill. Session was then suspended for the day. – Rappler.com