|
EVEN his
loyal fans laughed at the idea of him dipping his
fingers into politics and showbusiness.
Now,
Manny Pacquiao will try to make his followers laugh as
the Filipino boxing sensation recently signed a two-year
deal that will make him one of the newest sitcom
personalities on Philippine TV.
Last
weekend Pacquiao officially became a showbiz talent of GMA
Network which the boxer himself announced in a meeting
with showbiz and sportswriters.
“Manny
will do sitcoms. That’s all we can say about the deal.
We will also make sure there will be no conflicts with
his training,” said Redgie Magno, GMA’s program manager
for entertainment.
GMA
arranged a meeting among Pacquiao, showbusiness and
sportswriters held at the 17th Floor of the
GMA Network Center.
Also present was the network’s chairman, president and
CEO Felipe Gozon.
Terms of
the deal were not disclosed but BusinessMirror learned
from someone privy to the pact that Pacquiao is
guaranteed P100,000 per appearance on any GMA network
show and shooting engagements.
Pacquiao
table-hopped and chatted with writers who attended
the affair.
The
southpaw boxing champion, as expected, was bombarded by
typical showbusiness questions particularly his
intriguing closeness with screen siren Ara Mina.
Pacquiao
is bankrolling a movie that will pair him with Mina
which is said to be 70-percent done and will be
completed after the boxer’s October 6 bout against Marco
Antonio Barrera in Las Vegas.
“Suportahan sana ninyo itong pelikula ko kasi dito lang
kayo makakakita ng boxer na umiiyak at gumagawa ng [I
hope you will support the film because this is the only
time you would see a boxer crying and doing an] action
movie,” said Pacquiao, who also disclosed the completion
of his rap single.
As for
his boxing career especially his upcoming bout against
Barrera, Pacquiao assured fans he won’t take his
bitter Mexican foe lightly.
“Minsan
na akong nagkumpiyansa kaya ako natalo. Simula noon talagang
puspusan ang ensayo ko kahit sino’ng makaharap ko [I was
overconfident once and I lost. Since then I’ve been
training hard regardless of who I meet in the ring],”
said Pacquiao.
“My
chances against Barrera is 50-50. It’s better that way
so I don’t slouch around in training.”
GMA, in
partnership with Solar Sports, will air Pacquiao’s
rematch against Barrera. The bout is a rematch of their
first match back in November 2003 at the Alamodome in
San Antonio,
Texas.
In their
initial encounter, a heavy underdog Pacquiao shocked the
world of boxing as he dominated and eventually
annihilated Barrera in the 11th of their 12-round
“Peoples Featherweight” championship fight. |
