Pacquiao bankrolls Glan town's centennial foundation anniversary
By Aquiles Z. Zonio
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 06 Oct 2014
GLAN, Sarangani ? World eight-division boxing champion and Sarangani Lone District Representative Manny Pacquiao set aside P12 million out of his personal money to bankroll the 100th foundation anniversary of this flourishing town.
Mayor Victor James Yap was profuse with thanks, saying ?Cong. Manny Pacquiao is truly a gift from above. I could not imagine how to make our centennial celebration colorful and successful without him. And take note, the P12 million budget came not from PDAF or DAP but from his own pocket.?
The controversial Priority Development Assistance Fund and the Disbursement Acceleration Program had been the wellspring of kickbacks for scoundrels in the legislative and executive branches of government.
In two separate landmark decisions earlier, the Supreme Court declared both the PDAF and DAP unconstitutional.
"Our budget is not enough to stage a grandiose centennial celebration such as what we are witnessing right now. But through the generosity of Cong. Pacquiao, we were able to make it happen," Yap said.
Several activities were lined up during the week-long celebration which include festival contest, motocross competition, boxing, traditional horse fighting, among others.
The grandest among the activities were the ?Lubi-Lubi Festival? and the ?Bring-Your-Festival? contest.
The champion for the Lubi-Lubi festival will get P.7 million, while the grand winner for the Bring-Your-Festival contest will bring home P1 million.
Lubi-Lubi is an annual dance festival in Glan which highlights the many uses of coconut, the town?s leading agricultural crop.
The Bring-Your-Festival contest is a new concept introduced by the organizers to make Glan?s centennial celebration more impressive.
?We had invited winners of different festivals throughout the country like Sinulog, Dinagyang, Kadayawan, Kalilangan and many more. With the whopping P1 million grand prize, I think the winners of those festivals would come here to join in the contest,? Yap said.
Music artists and showbiz personalities travelled all the way from Manila just to entertain local people for the whole duration of the celebration.
?Everyday, from Oct. 2 to 8, different artists and showbiz personalities will be coming over to perform before us, courtesy of our beloved Cong. Manny Pacquiao,? Yap bared.
Pacquiao admitted that Glan has a special place in his heart.
?Part of my childhood was spent in this town. We used to live in sitio (sub-village) Miasong in Barangay (village) Tango before we transferred to General Santos,? Pacquiao said.
The boxer-lawmaker claimed that he was challenged to join the rough-and-tumble world of politics to prove not all government officials are corrupt.
?I want to leave a legacy not just in boxing but also in public service. I want the people to remember me not only as the world?s eight-division boxing champion, but also as public servant who is not corrupt,? Pacquiao said.
The Filipino boxing superstar had also approved over the weekend the holding of a sportsfest for government officials and employees in Sarangani and General Santos.
Dubbed as ?SarGen Sports Challenge,? the sportsfest, with about P8 million budget, will be staged in December in time for his 36th birthday.
?Sharing my blessings to others is my humble way of showing gratitude to God for making me what I am today,? he said. /By Aquiles Zonio
Photo: World eight-division boxing champion & Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao serves as the guest of honor during the "Balikbayan Night" in Isla Jardin Del Mar, Barangay Gumasa, Glan, Sarangani. (Left to Right - Glan mayor Victor James Yap, Manny Pacquiao & Sarangani Gov. Steve Chiongbian-Solon) Photo by Aquiles Zonio.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Aquiles Z. Zonio.
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