Political ploy?

The timing could not have been more perfect, according to  a pair of political science professors who dined with a small group of media men last night.

They were of course, being sarcastic.

“The motive for freezing the assets of Manny Pacquiao two days after his triumph in the ring, is as clear as day,” said the older of the two professors. “It is political.”

On national television, the eight-division world champion said  he is being charged  an amount of P2.2 billion  in back taxes which the Bureau of Internal Revenue claims he failed to remit from winnings in his previous fights.

The Pacman explained that  he has submitted pertinent documents and receipts from the IRS (Internal Revenue Service) of America, which should prove that he no longer has tax obligations both in the United States and in the Philippines.

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BIR commissioner Kim Henares disputed this, claiming that the only documents her office got are letters  from Bob Arum of Top Rank Promotions. She made this pronouncement also on national television, as she tried to  explain that the word “garnishment,” which happened to Pacquiao’s assets,  is something akin to foreclosure.

“In Tagalog, parang naremata,” said one of the profs. “It’s like a real estate property  which  is used as collateral for a loan and then the loaner fails to pay his obligations.”

“We gave Manny a time period to pay his debt of P2.2 million to government,” Henares said.

“So we had to freeze his assets. ”

Henares said  there was only a total of over a million pesos in Manny’s two bank accounts.

Meanwhile,  Pacquiao’s  lawyer, Tranquil Salvador, debunked Henares’ statement  that Arum had only submitted  letters from Top Rank which contained figures of what had been submitted to the IRS.

“These letters had attachments—documents, receipts from the IRS. This is now getting to be a case of ‘you said, I said.’”

Substantiating Atty. Salvador’s statements, Bob Arum  said  all documents from the IRS go straight to his office.

“It is my office that deals with the agency. A man of Manny’s stature cannot run away from his tax obligations.”

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The political science professors said they smell something fishy. This move to freeze Pacquiao’s assets  at a time when his popularity is at its highest reeks  of political motivation, according to them.

“His political rivals want to discredit him.”

“You see, Manny is very close to vice president Jejomar Binay,  who openly declared his presidential aspirations in 2016 under UNA or  the United Nationalist Alliance Party, of which Manila mayor and senate minority floor leader Juan Ponce Enrile are members.”

Manny may be running for the senate under UNA.