Monico finally ‘beats’ Mayor Bing for Pacquiao’s attention

 “Activity in politics also produces eager competition and sharp rivalry.”

--John George Nicolay

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

IN THOSE times when Bacolod City mayor Evelio “Bing” Leonardia carried Senator Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao’s WBO belt inside the ring in Las Vegas, former Bacolod congressman and city mayor Monico “Nyuk” Puentevella stayed away from the limelight.

The two have been fierce political rivals in Bacolod City for decades.

In Las Vegas during Pacquiao’s title matches in the past 10 years, the two top Bacolod politicians avoided each other like Popeye and Bluto, both arch-rivals for the love of Olive Oyl.

But they pretended they didn’t see each other--or one of the didn’t exist—in rare occasions when it was inevitable that their path would cross either in press conferences or inside Pacquiao’s hotel room.

When it comes to intentionally not seeing each other eyeball to eyeball, the feeling was mutual. No hard feelings between the two adults. 

 

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While Leonardia was in the ring with Pacquiao, then the world boxing champion, during the official introduction before the start of many championship fights, Puentevella was in the ringside or in the media section as a reporter for Bombo Radyo Philippines.

Leonardia was among the many Philippine politicians who closely tagged along with Pacquiao on and off the square jungle. The others were former Ilocus Sur governor Chavit Singson and Buhay Partylist Rep. Joselito “Lito” Atienza.

Because Puentevella was there as an accredited media representative and sometimes as a Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) executive, he couldn’t be categorized as “among the politicians in Pacquiao’s circle.”

Even before Pacquiao became the toast of Las Vegas boxing community, Puentevella, who had first served as Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) commissioner during the administration of President Fidel V. Ramos, was already known to Pacquiao when the boxer-turned-politician was still a scrawny flyweight oriental and intercontinental champion.

 

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But in Las Vegas, where Pacquiao became a celebrity, Puentevella visited the ring superstar in his suite either in Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino or in MGM Grand when Leonardia wasn’t around. 

When Pinoy fans in the Philippines and other countries watched Pacquiao’s fights, they would normally see Leonardia beside Pacquiao, not Punetevella, bolstering the presumption that Leonardia “could be closer” to Pacquiao.

Puentevella couldn’t do anything to reverse this popular perception as it’s beyond his control. He was there in Pacquiao’s title bouts, after all, to file a “live” radio report direct to the Philippines, not to compete with anybody for Pacquiao’s attention.

Ditto with Leonardia, who primarily flew from Bacolod to Las Vegas to carry the WBO belt, not to outmuscle or elbow any politician for a slot in Pacquaio’s ring entourage.

In fairness to the two distinguished Negros political leaders, they didn’t attend Pacquiao’s fights abroad with a purpose of displaying their enmity toward each other or telling the world that they were at loggerheads politically. 

 

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When Pacquiao became inactive in Las Vegas (from 2017 and 2018), Leonardia was seldom seen in Pacquiao’s entourage.  

When Pacquiao unsuccessfully grabbed Yordenis Ugas’ WBA super world welterweight crown in Las Vegas on August 21, 2021, Leonardia wasn’t around; but there was Puentevella (who never climbed the ring).

It also marked the rare occasion when the number of Team Pacquiao entourage had been reduced inside the ring: no more flag bearer and belt carrier (Pacquiao was the challenger that night); no more “eye sores” (those who climbed the ring to position themselves in the back of Pacquiao even if they have no official function other than to get a free exposure and publicity).

When Pacquiao was nominated by PDP-Laban (Pimentel wing) for president in the May 9, 2022 election in Quezon City on September 19, 2021, Puentevella was quoted in the press as Pacquiao’s “spokesman” where he announced that the former 8-time world boxing champion was ripe for the presidency and expressed confidence of Pacquiao’s victory.

Leonardia wasn’t around anew; he hasn’t endorsed his “kumpare” for president as of this writing. 

This time, it’s Puentevella’s show as he finally was able to amass a wide latitude and leverage to “beat” Leonardia for Pacquiao’s attention and companionship.

If Pacquiao will win for president and Puentevella gets a cabinet position, will he also offer a position for his former belt carrier?

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two Iloilo dailies—Ed)

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mayor Joe III should prove Alim wrong

“God as my witness, may He strike me down if this allegation is true.”
--Paul Crouc

By Alex P. Vidal

NEW YORK CITY -- We suspect that Bacolod City Mayor Evelio “Bing” Leonardia wasn’t happy that the honor of holding Manny Pacquiao’s WBA 147-lb belt when the senator defended his crown against Adrien Broner in Las Vegas on January 19, 2019 went to senatorial candidate Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa.
The role of holding Pacquiao’s championship belt during the introduction inside the ring has been Leonardia’s exclusive franchise since Pacquiao became a WBO kingpin 10 years ago.
In fact, the chief reason why Leonardia flew to Las Vegas despite his busy schedule in Bacolod City, was “to fulfill that obligation.”
There were many attempts in the past from eager-beaver Pacquiao friends and subalterns to dislodge Leonardia from that lofty honor but they all failed.
I am a living witness to some of these foiled heists.

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In fact, I know personally some of the purported VIPs who tried but failed to trick Leonardia.
In one of Pacquiao’s fights at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino many years back, Leonardia had to grip the belt tightly like Conan the Barbarian and defend it like his honor was at stake when a physician friend attempted to grab it from his hands.
If coolers heads did not interfere, the Ilonggo mayor was prepared to square off with the intruder in what could have been the undercard’s preliminary bout right there in the dressing room.
If these charlatans weren’t jealous with Leonardia, they wanted to become instant celebrity by being seen instantly by millions of boxing fans from all over the world monitoring the event “live” on a pay-per-view.
This time, one of them succeeded.
Bato, of course, had a sinister intention.
As a senatorial candidate, the retired police director general knew his presence would generate a lot of attention from the voters.

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The first-ever serious allegation of a possible graft and corruption “committed” in the infant administration of Iloilo City Mayor Jose “Joe III” Espinosa III has been fired by Councilor Joshua Alim.
The eye of the storm is the controversial P45-million newly-built grandstand in the Muelle Loney, City Proper, which Espinosa III had temporarily named as the Iloilo Dinagyang Grandstand.
Alim, a candidate in Iloilo City’s lone congressional district in the May 2019 elections, said he wasn’t convinced that the recently-inaugurated main venue of this year’s Dinagyang Festival was worth that amount.
The opposition councilor wasn’t impressed by the grandstand’s design even as he declared he would call for a committee investigation in the Sangguniang Panlungsod to shed light on the issue.
The grandstand, originally known as the Iloilo Freedom Grandstand when it was still standing in front of the Customs house in corner Mapa-J.M. Basa Streets, City Proper, was built under the Espinosa III’s administration.

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Once Alim starts to seriously pursue the investigation, it will give Mayor Joe III, a rich man who does not need to steal and has no bad record in public service, a terrible inconvenience as he, too, is running for city mayor against Rep. Jerry Trenas in the May 2019 elections.
Alim’s recent saber-rattling, of course, was a music to Trenas’ ears.
Although Alim and Trenas do not belong in one political bandwagon, the councilor’s offensive move against Mayor Joe III is expected to be welcomed by Trenas’ group as a shibboleth of conquest.
Ilonggos who don’t believe that Mayor Joe III is a thief, meanwhile, will now start to suspect that he tolerated graft and corruption when he employed grafters in his administration.
Of course we are not saying that Alim is right.
In fairness to the mayor, everything is a mere suspicion and allegation; no formal complaint has been lodged yet against any Espinosa III minion in relation to the construction of the controversial grandstand.
Now that the cat is out of the bag, Mayor Joe III can’t just shrug off Alim’s fusillade as a mere powder puff.
He must prove that the councilor is wrong by facing the issue squarely and grabbing the bull by the horns.