Pacquiao to proceed with Leyte relief mission despite bank freeze order

Manny Pacquiao. AP FILE PHOTO

GENERAL SANTOS CITY, Philippines – Even if his bank accounts were ordered “frozen” by the Court of Tax Appeals, boxing champion and Sarangani Representative Manny Pacquaio vowed to find a way to distribute relief goods to victims of Supertyphoon “Yolanda” (Haiyan).

“With God’s help, we will always find a way. We will overcome this challenge,” he told the Philippine Daily Inquirer by phone.

Pacquiao said he would prioritize giving goods to typhoon victims who have hardly received relief assistance.

Pacquiao said his staff were still packing the relief goods intended for the victims of Yolanda in Visayas, as of Tuesday.

“Baka bukas o sa makalawa makalipad na tayo papuntang Visayas. Niri-repack pa ng mga staff ko ang mga relief goods na ibibigay natin sa mga biktima (Maybe tomorrow or the day next, we will fly to Visayas.  People in my staff are still repacking the relief goods that will be given to the victims),” he said.

Pacquiao had wanted to visit the typhoon-ravaged areas in the Visayas even before his fight, but his coach, Freddie Roach, advised him to postpone it as he was in the final stage of his preparation against American Brandon Rios.

He said he would ask his mother Dionisia, who was born in Leyte, to go with him in distributing the relief goods.

“Hindi makakasama ang wife ko kasi buntis siya at baka makasama sa kalagayan niya. Tatanungin ko ang mama ko baka gusto niyang sumama (My wife cannot accompany because she’s pregnant and the trip may not be good to her.  I will ask my mom if she would like to go with me),” he said.

The Filipino ring sensation dedicated his victory to his countrymen, particularly the typhoon victims.

Pacquiao, known to be generous in sharing, said he could not yet say how much he would donate to the victims.

“Hindi pa natin ma-determine ang amount unless malaman natin gaano karami yong hindi pa nabigyan o minsan lang naabutan ng tulong mula nung nag-umpisa ang relief operations (We still cannot determine the amount to give unless we get to know how many have not been given any relief or have just been aided once),” Pacquiao said.