“Criticism is a misconception: we must read not to understand others but to understand ourselves.”
--Emile M. Cioran
By Alex P. Vidal
NEW YORK CITY -- In the past seven years, I have been hearing a lot of people claiming--and insisting--that Sen. Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao “owns” a resort in Boracay Island in Malay, Aklan in the Philippines.
Most of them pointed to the controversial Boracay West Cove resort in Barangay Balabag.
There were instances when I corrected the misconception or misinformation, telling some of them that the resort was owned by Crisostomo “Kris” Aquino, Pacquiao’s friend (or former friend?) who used to wave the Philippine flag in the ring during Pacquiao’s world title bouts mostly in Las Vegas.
Kris’ closeness with the former WBC-IBF-WBO crownholder didn’t sit well with other jealous and envious “VIPs” (very important persons) who mostly had their own ulterior moves.
I was a witness how Aquino struggled to win Pacquiao’s trust and sympathy after engaging merchants of intrigues within the “Team Pacquiao” circle in a torrid and disgusting power play.
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In a crack voice, Kris himself once confessed to me in Mandalay Bay and Resort Casino in Las Vegas there were characters trying to isolate him from the 39-year-old boxing celebrity.
After pouring out his emotions, Kris was never seen again in the ring with Pacquiao when the latter squared off versus Joshua Clottey in Texas, Antonio Margarito, Shane Mosley, Brandon Rios, Timothy Bradley Jr (first and second), Floyd Mayweather Jr., Chris Algieri in Macao, Jessie Vargas, and Jeff Horn in Brisbane.
When Kris disappeared from the entourage, his friends could only speculate: Did he fall from Pacquiao’s graces, or Kris himself decided to stay away for good because of tampo (hard feelings).
No one can tell except Kris himself.
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There were those who insisted that Aquino “was only Pacquiao’s dummy” and the real owner was really the boxing champion himself.
Their basis was that Pacquiao, even before he was elected as senator in 2016, was always seen in the resort especially when he went back to the Philippines after some of his difficult fights as a former eight-division world boxing title holder in Las Vegas.
Because of Pacquiao’s friendship with then Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Joselito “Lito” Atienza, their belief that the senator owned the resort bolstered.
This was after it was discovered that the resort was able to obtain a 25-year Forest Land Use Agreement for Tourism Purposes (FLAgT) covering the resort’s 998 square meters, which paved the way for the temporary use, occupation and development of any forest land for tourism purposes for a period of 25 years renewable for another 25 years.
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The resort’s pact with DENR covers forest lands to be used for bathing, camp sites, ecotourism destinations, hotel sites and other tourism purposes.
The local government of Malay finally closed down the controversial resort on March 14, 2018, weeks after Malacanang had threatened to throw the books on Malay officials who either tolerated or did nothing to stop illegal structures in the white beach.
The closure order came on the heels of Malacanang threats to close down Boracay for 60 days to pave the way for its “rehabilitation.”
If the resort was owned by Pacquiao, who is being groomed by President Duterte to be the next president, do you think it would be closed down?
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