Politicians using free screenings of Pacquiao fight as tools

With the newest fight of boxing champ Manny Pacquiao around, politicians can’t be far behind.

From Luzon to Visayas, politicians pounced on the chance to promote themselves and their ambitions by riding on the Pacquiao mania.

In Nueva Ecija province, streamers announcing free public screenings of the fight between Pacquiao and American boxer Timothy Bradley Jr. today have been put up in communities with the names of politicians prominently displayed on the streamers claiming credit for the live showing of the fight.

The same is true in Cebu City, where the local political party Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK) is sponsoring a public screening of the match.

The BOPK is known as the political party of Rep. Tomas Osmeña, who is running for Cebu City mayor next year.

Political families and businessmen have always profited each time the so-called Pacman fever rises.

Local cinemas, sports clubs and dining areas have been selling pay-per-view tickets here and in various parts of Luzon.

In Dagupan City,  CSI Mall has also been selling tickets to the match today. A city resident said the show may include short commercial clips of Pangasinan politicians expressing support for Pacquiao.

In Baguio City, the developer and administrator of Camp John Hay ended up tussling over the Pacquiao-Bradley match. Alfredo Yñiguez, executive vice president of  Camp John Hay Development Corp. (CJHDevco), said he was enraged by a directive from a government agency that stopped it from screening the match at a John Hay hotel.

In a statement, the John Hay Management Corp.  informed CJHDevco that it would have to “change the venue of the pay-per-view Pacquiao-Bradley match scheduled on June 10 at the 19th Tee of the Camp John Hay Suites.”

At least 16 villages in Cebu City would be able to watch live screenings of the match courtesy of the BOPK.

The head of the BOPK, Representative Osmeña, would not be in the audience watching the free public screening of the match, however.

He would be with wife Councilor Margarita Osmeña right where the match is taking place, at MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, a trip that costs millions of pesos. Many other congressmen would watch the fight in Las Vegas.

Like in the rest of the country, different hotels, restaurants, cinemas and coliseums in Cebu will offer pay-per-view screenings.

Cebu Coliseum lowered its rates to half to bring in more people.

In Negros Occidental province, policemen are on heightened alert as Negrenses are expected to flock to different venues in Negros Occidental and Bacolod City to watch the match.

Senior Supt. Allan Guisihan, Negros Occidental police director, said he ordered all police stations in the province to coordinate with the Philippine Army and guard vital installations during the fight.

Reports from Armand Galang, Inquirer Central Luzon; Yolanda Sotelo and Vincent Cabreza, Inquirer Northern Luzon; and Carla P. Gomez and Jhunnex Napallacan, Inquirer Visayas