Pacquiao shelves GenSan campaign rally

A day after a campaign supporter of his electoral rival was reportedly murdered, boxing icon and congressional bet Manny Pacquiao on Friday cancelled his campaign rally in General Santos City because of an alleged bomb threat. Pacquiao, who is seeking the congressional seat in the first district of South Cotabato, told GMA News that his camp had received "intelligence information" that bombers would disrupt his miting de avance scheduled for Friday night (tonight). His campaign handlers had planned to hold the event at the city's Oval Plaza. The prized boxer's move is a critical one as the Commission on Elections (Comelec) bans any form of campaigning starting Sunday, May 13. Candidates thus have Saturday and what's left of Friday to shake hands with their constituents. Pacquiao claimed that Friday night's program was ready and showbiz celebrities were set to arrive. He refused to say who would attack his campaign event, although he recently claimed that incumbent Rep. Darlene Antonino Custodio's camp raised P100 million to have him killed. Custodio has flatly denied that she would hatch any plan to harm Pacquiao. She did not immediately answer phone calls from GMA News on Friday. Pacquiao's move comes on the heels of television reports that Custodio's campaign supporter was gunned down by unidentified assailants in Tupi town in the same province. Also last Thursday, a separate television report said Custodio decided to file a vote-buying case against Pacquiao over his alleged distribution of insurance cards to South Cotabato residents. The report quoted the two-term lawmaker as saying that she wanted to teach Pacquiao a lesson. Pacquiao is undoubtedly among the most successful Filipino boxers in history, while Custodio comes from the province's influential Antonino clan. - GMANews.TV