BAGUIO CITY, Philippines—After Manny Pacquiao left this city for Manila, people continue to wonder why. The new twist to the story is it’s Pacquiao’s coach Freddie Roach against Sen. Manuel Villar Jr.
Part of HBO’s 24/7 presentation of the Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto fight prequel on their match-up is on the Internet. Most comments blame Villar for interrupting Pacquiao’s training.
In the video, Roach said Team Pacquiao should leave Saturday night or else Typhoon Ramil would catch up with them. As it turned out, Pacquiao had Villar as his guest at The Manor in Camp John Hay here and was hesitant to leave.
While having lunch with Villar, Roach approached the two in what HBO 24/7 described as “a standoff that turned severe.” Roach told Pacquiao that they had to go. In a separate interview, Roach threatened to quit if Pacquiao stalled but “cooler heads prevailed.”
The first part of the HBO 24/7 feature, where Villar appeared, was shown Saturday in the United States. The HBO crew arrived after Typhoon Pepeng devastated parts of Baguio City. This installment showed Team Pacquiao caught in the typhoon, forcing Pacquiao to swim, not jog, for a few days.
Despite media interviews that they would finish their training at Shape Up Boxing Gym in Cooyeesan Mall here until Oct. 24, Roach got ready to leave Saturday night.
The feature showed Roach and Pacquiao having dinner Saturday night and later talking in Roach’s suite about the need to leave the next day.
Roach said, “If we stay here, we have a chance of getting stuck. Or we can do it tomorrow so we can sleep tonight.”
Villar turned up Sunday night and the plan to leave seemed delayed. That was when the Roach-Villar stand-off happened.
What Pacquiao and Villar discussed was not known, but Villar is known to have pulled all stops in his presidential bid and being seen with the immensely popular Pacquiao would be a plus in his campaign.
Two YouTube versions of that segment were leaked on Oct. 26. A handful watched it, but the reactions were nasty toward Villar who, viewers said, “should be in typhoon-devastated places helping others.”
Villar is hell bent on winning the presidential race and has resorted to intense advertisements to help him make sure of it.
He has penetrated TV shows such as “Wowowee,” which became heavily popular for giving away money to contestants willing to show off their talents or simply embarrass themselves in front of cameras.
Villar, a real estate mogul who faced a Senate ethics investigation for road funding anomalies, has also acquired the support of Wowowee host Willie Revillame, who remained extremely popular despite the deaths of 74 would-be contestants on Feb. 4, 2006, in a stampede of people trying to get into his show.
Villar has also acquired the support of allies of President Macapagal-Arroyo, including Camarines Sur Gov. Luis “LRay” Villafuerte Jr.
According to sources in the know about his campaign, Villar has already spent at least P1.5 billion for his promotional blitz.
In the HBO 24/7 prequel, the segments on Cotto showed that his training in Florida was more focused and relaxed.
Frank Cimatu, Inquirer Northern Luzon
(This article is originally posted at politics.inquirer.net)
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