Palace, lawmakers convinced of Pacquiao win over Marquez

Amid the divided opinion, Malacañang and members of the House of Representatives are convinced that Filipino boxing champ Manny Pacquiao won over Mexican slugger Juan Manuel Marquez in their title match Sunday (Manila time) in Las Vegas, Nevada. “Whether you win by an inch or a mile, you still won," said deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte at a press briefing on Monday. Pacquiao’s colleagues at the House of Representatives echoed the same sentiment. Parañaque Rep. Roilo Golez, for one, credited Pacquiao’s victory to his aggressiveness in the ring. “In pro-boxing, aggressiveness scores points… Marquez was not robbed. To win against the champ, one has to carry the fight to the champ," he said in a text message. Many boxing fans all over the world, including Filipinos, have expressed doubts over Pacquiao’s victory, saying it was Marquez who performed better. Scoreboards, however, favored Pacquiao, who retained his WBO title via majority decision. Golez acknowledged Marquez’s good defense against Pacquiao, which he said made the Mexican boxer score good points through counter-punching. Easter Samar Rep. Ben Evardone, for his part, credited Pacquiao’s victory to his stamina. “Marquez has no power, and Manny’s stamina was without doubt," he said in a separate text message.

Not as explosive as before Deputy Minority Leader Milagros Magsaysay said while Pacquiao’s performance “may not have been as explosive as his earlier victories," he should still be credited for making the Filipinos proud once again. “We may not have realized it but Manny’s speed put him ahead of the scorecards in terms of punches thrown and landed as compared to Marquez, so congratulations to Manny," she said. Last May, the House of Representatives passed a resolution honoring Pacquiao for his win against American boxer Shane Mosley. The House leadership has yet to announce how they will receive Pacquiao this time once he returns to congressional work. Pacquiao, a neophyte lawmaker, has so far authored five bills. He is currently vice-chairperson of three House panels: the committee on youth and sports development, the committee on millennium development goals and the committee on poverty alleviation. During Congress’ first regular session, Pacquiao posted one of the highest numbers of absences in the House, attending only 47 of the 73 session days. Support for Pinoy athletes Meanwhile, Valte said Filipino athletes should receive the support no matter what happens. “Sa atin po lalo na sa mga atleta natin, hindi ho madaling iwagayway ang bandila ng ating bansa lalo na sa mga palakasang ganito. Ang lagi po nating sinasabi e manalo o matalo sinusuportahan natin ang mga atleta natin," she said. With this, Valte congratulated the Filipino athletes who won medals in the ongoing Southeast Asian Games in Indonesia. “I would like to congratulate our athletes who won medals in the SEA Games. We would like to extend our congratulations to our athletes," she said. As of posting time, the Philippines was on the 6th place with 27 medals, five of which were gold, nine silver and 13 gold. Asked if Pacquiao would be meeting with President Benigno Aquino III when the Filipino boxing icon returns to the country, Valte said she has to check first if there is a request for such. “We have to coordinate with them. I understand that this is a standard procedure but I have to check if the Pacquiao camp has contacted us for any arrangements," she said. — KBK, GMA News