Pacquiao: From belt magnet to controversy magnet

MANILA, Philippines - The undeniable strength of sports superstar Manny Pacquiao – the world’s greatest pound-for-pound boxer – has not only transformed him into a title belt magnet but a controversy magnet as well. At the height of a full-blown promotional campaign by Solar Sports and GMA Network for his fight with British Ricky “The Hitman" Hatton, Pacquiao shocked Filipinos when he suddenly appeared in an ABS-CBN report announcing that he would be jumping the fence. It turned out that Pacquiao had apparently mulled reuniting with ABS-CBN and decided to tape the video message announcing it, but told the network not to show it without his go signal. However, complications arose when ABS-CBN, as the boxer claimed, released the video without authorization. The giant network belied Pacquiao’s claim. After discussing with his lawyers and officials from Top Rank – the show’s promoter – Pacquiao decided to stay with Solar Sports. The historic 359-second bout with Hatton was shown at GMA. Affair with Ara? Manny had been embroiled in other intrigues, long before the purported "network rift." Perhaps, making one of the biggest splashes was the boxer’s rumored affair with sexy actress Ara Mina. The actress was rumored to be the reason why Pacquiao abandoned his training in the US in 2007 and resumed it in the Philippines. The two starred in the 2007 Metro Manila Film Festival entry Anak ni Kumander, where they had to lock lips nine times to perfect a kissing scene. Both Pacquiao and Ara Mina had since repeatedly denied rumors of a love affair. But wagging tongues never seemed to have stopped. Even in the Paquiao-Hatton fight – almost one and a half years later – Ara Mina was reported to have flown to Las Vegas to watch the boxer, a rumor that the actress denied. Issues of infidelity never seemed to leave Pacquiao’s side. In early 2008, photos of Pacquiao dancing with an unknown young lady in green at the Embassy in Taguig City proliferated on the Internet. But Pacquiao claimed there was nothing controversial about the photos, and that their proliferation was a move to discredit him. The boxing champ’s wife, Jinkee, defended Pacman. "Siempre, si Manny ang paniniwalaan ko. Mahal niya ako at ang mga anak namin. Hindi ang mga litratong 'yon ang makakasira sa samahan namin. Ganyan kami katibay ni Manny [I of course trust Manny. He loves us and our kids. Our relationship will not be ruined by those photos. Our relationship is strong], " said Jinkee in an interview with Philippine Entertainment Portal in January 2008. Love child? In 2006, Pacquiao admitted engaging in a one-night stand with Joanna Rose Bacosa, who would later claim that the world’s greatest southpaw fathered her then two-year-old son Emmanuel John Pacquiao. Bacosa, a native of Palawan province, brought the matter to court, accusing Pacquiao of violating Republic Act No. 9262, which protects women from violence, and sought support for the boy. Pacquiao denied being the father of the boy, saying Bacosa had a boyfriend at the time he was seeing her in 2003. Even First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo slid into the picture and offered to counsel for the boxer, arguing that Pacquiao had laid down too many laurels for the country to just be bludgeoned with more controversies. But the media do not only have a knack for digging up controversies involving Pacquiao. Even the people closest to Pacman did not escape public scrutiny. It was not too long before people began wondering why in every Pacquiao victory, only an animated Dionesia – throwing her hands up in the air every time his son landed a punch – would appear in interviews and never the pugilist’s father. As it turned out, Dionesia had been estranged with Manny’s father – Rosalio Pacquiao for along time. With Rosalio leaving the Pacquiao household for good early on in the relationship, Dionesia was left to fend for herself and her five children – two of whom were from an earlier affair. - GMANews.TV