UP Ibalon Bicol: Philippine Congress attendance drops to 100 out of 263 as Pacquiao-Hatton match draws near

Philippine Congress attendance drops to 100 out of 263 as Pacquiao-Hatton match draws near

5/01/2009 | Posted by mesiamd | Edit Post

There is a reason to be proud of super boxing hero Manny Pacquaio. That’s why in spite of the money crunch brought by the recession, at least 50 Filipino congressmen will fly to Las Vegas to watch the sensational boxing battle between Pacquiao and Britisher Ricky Hatton on Saturday, May 2, 2009 (Philippine time.)

“I have never missed his fight. He is the pride of Mindanao and I am part of his team. I've never used government funds to watch all his previous fights, including now.”----House Speaker Nograles ABS-CBN )04/30/09)

It must really be exciting to be on the ringside to see Philippines’ fighter extraordinaire who inspires almost everybody fight in the MGM arena. But one wonders if the trip by the members of the House of Representative to the United States is worth their “personal money” which has a good chance of mixing with “public money.”

A trip abroad is expensive and the salary of these congressmen isn’t that much compared to the dollar earners. Besides they have expenses that spill as money paid for by the government. In a climate of corruption, they need to be honest. The public knows they are not rich and the people they serve are poor.

The attendance in the House or Representatives as of Wednesday dropped 62% with only 100 out of 263 members. Obviously showing lack of responsibility, no legislation or discussion helpful the nation could proceed. The charter change (Cha-cha) initiative by the congressmen were put on hold to give way to Pacquaio. Embarrassing, but true!

A Pacquiao-Hatton encounter, no matter how exciting, must not take precedence on duty at work. Abandoning the congress to watch a boxing match doesn't give a good signal. Those who take public service seriously take this as a black eye on the performance of congressmen, but almost almost no one protests.

The congressmen are even oblivious of the pig flu epidemic making rounds in America. With the swine virus on its way to become a full-blown pandemic, the congressmen should be taking the risk of travel seriously. Some members of the Obama entourage who went to Mexico last week manifested flu-like symptoms. A Mexican who shook Obama's hand reportedly died of the flu. As advised by health authorities, one should avoid non-essential trips these days, especially in the epicenter of the epidemic to avoid getting sick and transmitting the disease.

Pacquiao also worries of catching influenza. He is good to see in a giant screen, but the 50 congressmen can’t be dissuaded from the ringside. The Las Vegas boxing arena where a mix of Mexican and Americans will is just the right place for contagion to lurk and spread in the crowd. (Photo Credit: Philippine Affairs/ Congress of the Philippines)=0=

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Labels: boxing, congress, congressmen, entertainment, epidemic, House of Representatives, Manny Pacquiao, Philippine Congress, politics, Ricky Hatton, sports, Swine flu, Totie Mesia

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Philippine Congress attendance drops to 100 out of 263 as Pacquiao-Hatton match draws near

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