FORMER NBA player Daniel Orton should have known this a long time ago: Pambansang Kamao Manny Pacquiao should not be openly and publicly criticized if you do not want to suffer the consequences of “insulting” the Philippine icon from the hands of his legions of fans in the name of Pinoy pride.
Forget about free speech, or if your criticism is indeed reflective of the truth as you perceive it. Lesson learned for Daniel Orton, center for the Purefoods Star Hotshots who recently joined the Philippine Basketball Association. He has been kicked out of the league last week because he called Manny Pacquiao’s basketball skills a joke.
Orton, who played just three games with the Hotshots, was also fined $5,650.
PBA commissioner Chito Salud contended that Orton’s comments were unwarranted and insulting.
Purefood’s top administrator Rene Pardo even explained the rationale of their decision to kick out Orton, invoking the name of American icon Martin Luther King Jr. He said it’s like Orton went to the US and insulted the name of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
How did Pacquiao, who has scored just one point this season, respond to Orton’s supposed insult? “It’s like this: No one has ever succeeded without being criticized,” the Pambansang Kamao told the Agence France-Presse in an interview.
We asked the viewers of Balitang America if they thought Orton’s supposed bashing of Pacman was commensurate to the punishment he got. Unfortunately, many kababayans who shared their opinion in our social media platforms did not think so.
In response to our Isyu Ngayon question, some kababayans said Orton was just exercising his right to express his opinion. They said they agree with Orton’s assessment of Pacquiao’s basketball playing skills and suggested the Pambansang Kamao should just stick to what he does best — boxing.
Is this another case of overreaction among some Pinoys when the Filipino icon’s name is used in “vain”?
Pacquiao vs. BIR’s Henares
Another villain in the eyes of many of Pacquaio’s fans is the head of the Bureau of Internal Revenue Kim Henares.
As we all know, Pacquiao and the BIR are in a legal battle in connection with his alleged income tax deficiency and value-added tax (VAT) assessments for taxable years 2008 and 2009 amounting to P2.2 billion.
Critics of Henares said she had been pushy and insensitive in running after Pacquiao, when the boxing icon should be granted all the moral support, even tax breaks, especially when he is out there — putting his life in danger as he fights in the ring to give honor to the Philippines and the Filipino people.
This time, Henares seemed to have a more cordial approach to reminding the fighting Congressman about his tax obligations. She said her office will not run after the Pacman for his revenues from the upcoming May 2 bout with arch-rival Floyd Mayweather Jr. Pacquiao is expected to take 40 percent of at least the $200 million expected revenue from the fight.
But there was a condition. Henares reminded Pacquiao to properly and accurately report to the BIR the taxes he will be paying the United States Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and submit supporting documents authenticated by the Philippine Embassy in the US.
Let us see if the Pacman will learn from his previous bout with the BIR.
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Gel Santos Relos is the anchor of TFC’s “Balitang America.” Views and opinions expressed by the author in this column are are solely those of the author and not of Asian Journal and ABS-CBN-TFC. For comments, go to www.TheFil-AmPerspective.com, https://www.facebook.com/Gel.Santos.Relos
