Pacquiao mulling island retirement in Palawan

Rep. Manny Pacquiao. FILE PHOTO

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Philippines—World boxing champion and Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao is looking to buy an island in Palawan to build a retirement home once he is through boxing.

Pacquiao is looking at five islands that have been offered to him for sale, but he won’t say where they are.

“I like it here in Palawan because there’s a lot of green here, unlike in Manila, which is already crowded,” Pacquiao told the Inquirer in Filipino on Thursday.

Pacquiao brushed aside rumors that he already owned several hotels and restaurants in Palawan, saying that he was still evaluating investment options in the province.

The boxing champ was in Puerto Princesa City to meet with Palawan Gov. Jose Chaves Alvarez. He was accompanied by officials of Kia Motors, which has a franchise with the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).

Alvarez’s family’s car dealership is the distributor of Kia and several high-end automobile brands in the Philippines.

Pacquiao said the Kia team that would join the PBA was completing its lineup.

“We started with 50 potential players and now we are down to about 20. We want to make sure we build a strong team that won’t be a pushover in the  league,” he said.

In a press conference, reporters asked Pacquiao about the chances of his next opponent being American welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Pacquiao said the encounter was unlikely to happen, as Mayweather was not keen on fighting him.

“It really would be great if it’s Mayweather who will be my next fight because it’s what the fans like to see. But it seems it’s not yet time. The weather is still bad.”

Pacquiao has just been revealed to again be the richest member of the House of Representatives, where he is also listed as the congressman with the most absences.

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