Pacquiao’s political foe won’t give up post without a fight

MANILA, Philippines – Outgoing Sarangani Rep. Erwin Chiongbian on Thursday said he and his family won’t give up his congressional post that easily, and remained unfazed at Manny Pacquiao’s decision to once again try his luck inside the political ring. The three-term lawmaker said a member of his family would run in the 2010 elections to replace him in the House of Representatives. “That’s our intention because we cannot abandon the province," said Chiongbian in a chance interview on the sidelines of the formalization of the Lakas-CMD and Kampi (Kabalikat ng Mamamayang Pilipino) merger. Even as he acknowledged that the reigning pound-for-pound king has the fame and resources to launch a formidable campaign, Chiongbian said the people of Sarangani province would ultimately be the one to decide in the 2010 elections. “This is politics, different from boxing. If it’s boxing, I give up," said the 65-year-old lawmaker. Pacquiao or Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao has made known his intention of seeking a congressional seat in the lone district of Sarangani, his wife Jinkee’s province, in the 2010 national elections. The reigning International Boxing Organization (IBO) light welterweight champion’s party, the People's Champ Movement (PCM), was already accredited by the Commission on Elections at the local level. Pacquiao ran for a congressional seat in 2007 in the first district of South Cotabato as an adopted member of Kampi, the political party of President Gloria Arroyo. However, he was knocked out by re-electionist Darlene Antonino-Custodio, who handily beat the boxing champ with a wide margin of more than 60,000 votes. Pacquiao's entry into politics has been met with criticism from several personalities, including his supporters, who urge him to remain in sports. – GMANews.TV