PACMAN vs TAXMAN: And the winners is ... Ay Mali!
By Eddie Alinea
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 03 Dec 2013
These probably are the words now being uttered by people tasked with collecting taxes, including Bureau of Internal Revenue commissioner Kim Henares as an offshoot of the agency?s controversial decision to freeze People?s Champ Manny Pacquiao?s assets and garnishing his bank accounts for what a perceived discrepancies in the payment of taxes on his earnings in years 2008 and 2009.
Well, this writer doesn?t doubt Commissioner Henares and his men who are only doing their jobs to collect taxes in their efforts to improve the government?s finances aimed at rendering more services to the of people. Majority of citizens though couldn?t also be blamed for believing what our taxmen had done is another attempt of President Nonoy administration to go after enemies of this dispensation.
ComKim and her men have in their hands, several means to resort to without being suspected of harassing a members of the opposition, especially of Pacman?s stature ? a boxing champion ten times fold in eight different divisions, the only man, it so happened to have done so in the history of the sport of sweet science, owner of four lineal titles, again the only creature on earth to have succeeded and a lawmaker ? accomplishments no other Filipino had gained, thus, giving the country and the word Filipino immense honors.
Pacquiao?s successes in the international arenas, in fact, made him a national treasure. A sports icon, and, to a large extent, earned him the honor of being the Face of the Nation. Maybe ComKim and her taxmen should go overseas to see for themselves that Pacquiao is, indeed, the natsion?s saving grace for all the negative publicities the Philippines is getting abroad.
The taxmen, for instance, could have required the now World Boxing Organization international welterweight belt holder top submit the proper papers purporting to prove that he, indeed, had paid the U.S. Internal Revenue Service in regards to his 2008 and 2009 earnings from practicing his profession in the U.S. of A and other income from product endorsements, are in order. Documentation, after all, is what is only needed, it appears.
They didn?t have, in other words, to resort to dramatics of holding his properties and those of his wife, Sarangani Vice Gov. Jinkee?s, and garnishing their bank accounts, to correct what was perceived as discrepancies in payment. Those were only for show.
Of course, Pacquiao, who will turn 35 the 17th of this month, had to counterpunch his way with a similarly dramatic statements to the effect that the BIR decision had placed in jeopardy the fulfillment of his promise to help typhoon Yolanda?s victims in Leyte and Samar when he comes back from Macau where he beat American pretender Brandon ?Bam Bam? Rios black and blue two weekends ago. That as a result, ComKim and her taxmen, likewise, deprived his scholars of what they presently deserve, etc. to gain sympathy for his plight.
Which he succeeded. Pacquiao and his team travelled last weekend to Samar and Leyte to visit thousands of Yolanda?s victims in eight towns and hand them relief goods, canned foods, rice, medicines and even bibles. To do that, the three-time ?Fighter of the Year? and ?Fighter of the Decade? honoree of the Boxing Writers Association of America had, according to him, to borrow money from friends. A fund-raising run around General Santos City and Sarangani province was held a day before Team Pacquiao left for the Visayas.
Everybody knows, except ComKim and her taxmen, believe that the Pacman won?t be remissed in his duty to pay the difference if and when it is found out that there really was discrepancies. If none, well and good. Everybody knows, too, that Manny has been spending millions of his earnings (not from the infamous PDAF) assisting those in need, especially those suffering from incurable disease and sickness as cancer, etc.
Coming at a time when Pacquiao had just vaulted back from a devastating sixth round defeat at the hands of arch-enemy and Mexican legend Juan Manuel Marquez a year ago and another ? a robbery of a victory for Tim Bradley earlier ? that had given his countrymen the hope and belief that, indeed, there is still life following the sufferings brought about by deadly earthquakes and typhoons that struck the county, freezing Pacquiao?s assets and garnishing his and his wife Jinkee?s bank accounts are the least this government needs if it is hell bent on remaining at the helm after the national elections three years from now.
After Pacquiao practically taught Rios the art boxing, victims who lost their homes, everything, including their families still finding their ways to put up tarpaulins and banners congratulating him for his victory that, they said, lifted their spirits no end and giving them hopes of bouncing back, too, amid the tragedies that happened to them.
Isang linggo bago noon, sa kanyang pag-alis, ganun din ang ginawa ng mga kababayan natin. Naghanda ng posters wishing Pacquiao good luck sa kanyang laban. Nanalangin upang siya ay manalo at makabangon sa pighating dinanas niya noong nakaraang taon. Panalong kailangang-kailangan din nila upang sila ay makabangon sa paghihirap na kanilang dinadanas na ibinigay sa kanila ng tadhana. Panalo na nagsilbing inspirasyon nila na ipinagkaloob naman ni Pacquiao.
Victorty that served as inspiration and hope that, wittingly or unwittingly, the BIR nearly deprived his countrymen of a chance to move on, recover from adversity and live for a longer time. Kalimutan na natin ang pulitika sa mga sandaling ito na dapat tayong magka-isa para sa ating bayan at kababayan.
Puwede ba?
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Eddie Alinea.
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