Pacquiao attends House session, mum on tax woes

MANILA, Philippines - World boxing icon and Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao yesterday attended session at the House of Representatives without talking about his tax woes.

Pacquiao had been absent for about two months to train for his fight against American Brandon Rios.

He was honored by his colleagues led by Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. for inspiring Filipinos and making the country proud of his latest victory against Rios.

“Thank you very much to all of you and to the Lord. Thank you for your prayers and support. This is not for me alone but for the country,” Pacquiao addressed the chamber in Filipino after receiving a copy of the resolution commending him.

The resolution, filed by several of his colleagues, cited the fighting congressman for his “determination, passion and hard work.”

The citation said Pacquiao was a source of national unity and pride of Filipinos, and served before the global community as the model of the Filipinos’ indomitable spirit despite adversities.

Pacquiao, however, made no comment regarding his latest fight with the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).

The Court of Tax Appeals (CTA) has warned Pacquiao and the BIR against disclosing details of the boxer’s tax case before the public.

Pacquiao is appealing before the tax court the assessment of the BIR, which had accused him of failing to pay taxes worth P2.2 billion from his bouts in the US in 2008 and 2009.

Pacquiao has maintained he had paid his taxes in the US and his lawyers filed a petition to lift the freeze on his accounts before the CTA.

The BIR has issued a garnishment order over his assets in a bid to collect the supposedly unpaid taxes.

Pacquiao’s friends in the House said the Sarangani lawmaker has resorted to tapping friends and volunteers to enable him to continue his medical missions in his province, as he could no longer withdraw from his bank accounts.