By Gil C. Cabacungan Jr., Francis Thimsel J. Ochoa
Philippine Daily Inquirer First Posted 03:01:00 11/10/2009 MANILA, Philippines—Speaker Prospero Nograles intends not only to watch the Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto super fight in person. He also hopes to enjoy the long haul flight to the US West Coast by sitting beside the Filipino champ’s celebrity mom on the plane.
Despite public calls for austerity in the wake of storm tragedies, Nograles, an unabashed Pacquiao fan, will lead a cheering squad of congressmen leaving on Friday to be at the fight site in Las Vegas on Nov. 14 (Sunday in Manila).
“It’s a long flight, I’ll enjoy it more by sitting beside her because I will not even feel the air turbulence,” Nograles said, referring to Aling Dionisia.
Nograles saw nothing wrong with flying to the United States with a bevy of lawmakers even if it was only a little over a month ago that Metro Manila and Luzon were swamped by floods.
“Just like you, congressmen have freedom of movement, you cannot stop anybody from going around, as long as they are not using government funds. We can be absent in Congress for a day or two,” Nograles, who just arrived Monday from an official US trip, told a press conference.
Nothing can stop them
Nograles said he would miss next week’s Monday session but he would be around for the Tuesday meeting. He promised approval of bills that need final reading by tomorrow (Wednesday).
Although a round-trip ticket to the United States is a luxury to most Filipinos, Nograles said he would only spend a little since his tickets would be offset by his frequent flier miles.
He said he would also save on hotel bills because he would be hosted by fellow Davaoenos in Las Vegas.
Nograles denied that at least 50 congressmen would go with him to the United States, the same number who went to see Pacquiao’s fight with Ricky Hatton.
“Who said that there will be 50 congressmen who will go to Las Vagas? There is no official travel, nobody has been authorized to go there on the House’s account,” he said.
“We can’t stop them because that’s their money, what is important is that the House would not spend for their fares,” said Majority Leader Arthur Defensor.
A good omen
Lawmakers have also been criticized for supposedly placing huge bets on the fight. Nograles said he would place a wager on Pacquiao but it was only to cover his airline economy ticket, which he estimated at $750.
Pacquiao fights have become a sort of a pilgrimage for some lawmakers, along with the public criticisms.
“I have watched at least eight fights of Pacquiao and every time he fights, this issue comes out. But he always wins his fight, so this might be a good omen,” Nograles said.
For Pacquiao, who has been training at a gym in Hollywood, the road trip to Las Vegas begins Monday.
“I’m 100-percent ready,” Pacquiao said on Sunday, when he did a little road work despite his corner’s orders to take the day off.
Pacquiao, who aims to snatch Cotto’s World Boxing Organization welterweight crown when they square off at the MGM Grand, also went to church and rehearsed a few songs for a post-match party.
Weight problems?
Pacquiao will spar four or five more rounds in Las Vegas before tapering off in his training.
His schedule: A formal welcome by MGM Grand on Tuesday, the fight’s final press conference on Wednesday and the weigh-in on Friday.
Pacquiao is expected to leave Los Angeles on Monday afternoon, arriving in Las Vegas in the evening.
Cotto, who trained in Tampa, Florida, is already in Las Vegas. On Sunday, he shrugged off insinuations that he had been struggling to make the weight.
“The last fight I spent more than 24 hours doing nothing,” he told the Examiner.com. “Just waiting for the weigh-in. My weight was 145. All I have to do is add a half hour to my work every day and I am going to reach 145 with no problem.”
Pacquiao earlier said he suspected Cotto was struggling to keep his weight down. There were also speculations the Puerto Rican would purposely miss the catch weight and go over by two pounds to gain an advantage on fight night.
Cotto dismissed that notion.
Gilbert Teodoro
Manny Villar
Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III
