Local officials urged: Show Pacquiao-Mayweather fight for free

Another option is watching the fight through your mobile phones, with Smart offering its subscribers free live streaming of the event for P499, which is more than the P481 minimum daily wage of workers in Metro Manila.

READ: Pacquiao-Mayweather on PPV costs $99, most expensive in history

Atienza said watching the fight live at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas was out of the question for most Filipinos, including lawmakers who used to get free tickets from the Saranggani representative in his previous fights, because of the staggering ticket prices.

Floyd makes a killing

Atienza claimed that Mayweather’s group controlled 90 percent of the tickets as part of Pacquiao’s concessions just to get the fight going.

“His group has made a killing in ticket sales, as everything was sold out just minutes after the announcement of the fight’s confirmation was made,” he said.

Former Ilocos Sur Governor Luis “Chavit” Singson said he expected the $10,000 ringside or floor seats to go up to at least $100,000 as fight day drew near.

Singson, Pacquiao’s confidant, claimed that the boxing idol had not given free tickets to his Congress peers this time.

He said that if lawmakers wanted to watch the fight, they would have to buy the tickets themselves, with the cheapest tickets, at $1,500, now being sold at $10,000 each on the black market.

Free television

Pacquiao fans can watch the fight on free television, care of three broadcast stations—ABS-CBN, GMA and ABC5—which promised to air it on a “slightly delayed basis.” Based on experience, however, that will be at least an hour after the actual fight.

READ: ABS-CBN, GMA, TV 5, Solar to broadcast Pacquiao-Mayweather fight

Benitez said the government had no power to compel the TV stations to show the fight closer to real time because they needed to recover the price they had paid to broadcast the fight.

Atienza said most people could listen to match updates on the radio but this would not be the same thing. “It will be a memorable event for most people, especially if they watch it live like the rest of those watching PPV in theaters and their homes. Imagine the entire Philippines glued to their screen all at the same time,” he said.

But for Speaker Feliciano Belmonte, it was no big deal if he’d see the match on delayed telecast as long it was free. “I don’t know about them but l can wait for a few minutes for the free show,” Belmonte said.

For more updates on Pacquiao-Mayweather “Fight of the Century,” visit The Pacquiao Files.