Lowmaker

Manny Pacquiao punches his way into filing a case for malicious prosecution against American law firms and their client who sued him for $8.6 million in finder’s fee forged by oral contract, not contact. Gentlemen’s agreement. No, that is gender-insensitive. It presupposes only men can agree in principle and honor their word, like grooms don’t cry seeing their bride walk down the aisle into betrayal. Call it unwritten agreement instead. Or better yet, handshake agreement.

Accordingly, the greatest Filipino athlete owed a restaurant server 2% for arranging a fight that earned almost half a billion dollars in revenue. The fight of the century. Floyd Mayweather, who already had the height and reach advantage, maintained safe distance from the many raging and fearless punches of Manny. Flight of the century.

Pacquiao now claims the guy admitted in writing he arranged the fight expecting nothing in return. The turn around does not surprise. No such thing as free lunch. While he serves at a restaurant, he does it for a fee. Bigger tips too, which are demandable as a matter of right in the United States and elsewhere. In this country, it is pure liberality, diners tip based on their capacity to give and the quality of service they receive. Many tiptoe the whole time they dine though, polite, humble and all. For the nasty, expect food to be tasty, courtesy of bodily discharges. From which part, including where they fart. From which hole, never mind, it is unprintable as a whole.

Despite the yucky certainty, others still throw their weight around. Their body, their rules, including eating what they did not order. Add-ons, everybody loves freebies. Regardless, Muhammad Ali did not trust anyone who’s nice to him but rude to the food server, they would treat him the same way if he was in that position.

Now Pacquiao asks the court to award him compensatory and punitive damages. He was forced to spend millions of dollars to clear his name. Rightfully so. At least he was not jailed, unlike one lawmaker who spent at least six years of her life behind bars for imaginary drug charges, without reference to another lawmaker who shared his imagination in the company of a pretty celebrity not his wife, instead of working to realize his legislative vision.

The freed lawmaker vowed to turn the tables on evils who maliciously accused and denied her freedom. No update so far. One thing is certain though, paid witnesses testify on a bad script straight from a never ending teleserye or movie. How many, more than 18 definitely. Life imitates art. Or vice versa. Fiction thrives, there is a blind market ready to patronize. Just as boxing fans await to re-watch the Pacquiao-Mayweather rematch in Las Vegas, even if they know it’s all about money. Their money. Otherwise known as ticket sales. And it’s not them who laugh all the way to the bank.