Tag Archives: Manny Pacquiao

Health & Medicine, International, Sports

PACQUIAO AND MAYWEATHER WILL BOTH BE INJECTED WITH ANESTHETIC DRUG DURING MAY 2 FIGHT

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1724522_1391292644467128_1219828704_nLAS VEGAS, Nevada (The Adobo Chronicles) – For a long time, Floyd Mayweather had accused Manny Pacquiao of using performance-enhancing drugs, making this his primary reason for not agreeing to fight the Filipino champion boxer in what many consider to be the “fight of the century.”

Now that the deal has been sealed for the two boxers to meet at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on May 2 this year, the same drug accusation has come around to haunt Mayweather.

It has been rumored that the American boxer injects his hands with a dubious substance called Xylocaine during training and bouts.  This substance, which has a numbing effect, is banned in most states, and the reason Mayweather only boxes in Nevada is that it is the only state where the anesthetic drug is not banned in sports.

Because it is not a banned substance in Las Vegas, the Pacquiao camp can do nothing about it.  Besides, the boxing deal has been signed, and there’s no backing out.

So, as a compromise, the Pacquiao camp has demanded that both boxers will be injected with Xylocaine on the night of the fight, to which the Mayweather camp readily agreed.

Boxing fans, rejoice.  The fight of the century is still on. And it’s fair and square! And clean (well, sort of).

Economy, Politics, Sports, Travel

IN THE PHILIPPINES, MILLIONAIRES GET TAX EXEMPTIONS WHILE ORDINARY CITIZENS PAY MORE

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Metro Manila train commuters pay more for long lines
Metro Manila train commuters pay more for long lines

MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles) – Last January 4, base transportation fares on Metro Manila’s Light Rail Transit (LRT) Lines 1 and 2, and the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) Line 3 were increased from P10.00 to P11.00 plus P1.00 per additional kilometer.

Department of Transportation and Communication Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya said the increase, which he called “a tough decision” that had to be made in order to bring improved services on the MRT and LRT lines.

Metro Manila’s rail lines, particularly the MRT-3, have been the subject of complaints from commuters because of congestion and frequent delays caused by glitches and breakdowns.

During last week’s Adobo Tour, our our publisher, editor and star reporters personally experienced the long and winding lines to get to the ticket booths, to wait for trains to arrive and to exit the platforms. Not to mention having to wait for the next two trains because only 3 to 4 incoming passengers at a time can be accommodated in the sardine-packed train cars.

But while daily commuters have to deal with less take home pay from their already meager salaries, millionaires who own several airconditioned luxury vehicles and have so much money they could charter an entire Boeing 747, are beng granted tax exemptions by the ever-brilliant, grandstanding Philippine legislators . Manny Pacquiao, for example.

Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III has proposed to grant a special tax exemption to Pacquiao to inspire him in his megafight with American Floyd Mayweather Jr. on May 2, 2015 (May 3 in Manila).

Pimentel said the special tax incentive was a “fitting tribute to the priceless package of proudly promoting the country once again in the international map.”

Pacquiao, an elected congressman from his hometown of Saranggani, has been in trouble with the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) in recent years for alleged failure to pay taxes on his earnings from his championship fights in the U.S.

BIR Commissioner Kim Henares who has a reputation for going after celebrities for their prize winnings abroad, has not commented on the proposal by Pimentel.

So, for tax-free living in the Philippines, run for public office or take up boxing for a profession!

International, Sports

VENUE OF PACQUIAO-MAYWEATHER FIGHT ON MAY 2 MOVED TO MANILA!

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imageMANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles) – Within just fifteen minutes after official confirmation of the May 2nd championship boxing bout between Filipino Manny Pacquiao and American Floyd Mayweather was made public, the fight’s venue, the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, sold out.

Seeing as how this is being dubbed as the fight of the century, perhaps even eclipsing the 1975 ‘Thrilla in Manila’ between Mohammad Ali and Joe Frazier, both the Pacquiao and Mayweather camps agreed to move the venue from Las Vegas to Manila.

The new venue is The Philippine Arena, located just a few miles north of the capital.  It has the distinction as the world’s largest indoor arena, with a capacity of 55,000.  In contrast, the MGM Garden Arena can only hold 16,800 people.

“We want all the boxing fans to have the opportunity to personally witness this historical event, so we wanted to find a bigger venue that can accommodate more people,” a spokesperson for the Pacquiao camp told reporters in Manila.

Manila Mayor (and former Philippine president) Joseph Estrada welcomed the news, saying that this will bring millions of tourism and business dollars to his city. “With all the new hotel and condo infrastructure, we certainly will be able to accommodate boxing fans from all over the world who will visit the Philippines to personally witness the fight,” he said.

President NoyNoy Aquino directed the Manila Airports Authority to speed up renovations and improvements at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in time for the May event.

Department of Social Welfare  and Development Secretary Dinky Soliman also announced that she has scheduled another ‘camping’ for Manila’s street children and homeless families at a resort south of Manila during the week of the fight to hide them from view of visiting tourists. (It will be recalled that Soliman rounded up street children and brought them to the same resort during Pope Francis’ visit to Manila last month).