Burglary try on Pacman mansion foiled

MANILA, Philippines - Manny Pacquiao is relieved that authorities were quick to respond to a burglary attempt on his $2 million mansion Friday in Los Angeles.

“I’m glad the burglary attempt was unsuccessful,” said the boxer who was in Manila, thousands of miles away, when the attempt took place past noon yesterday.

Pacquiao was filming a commercial when he learned of the news.

There was no one inside the mansion, which the boxing superstar reportedly bought for $2 million a couple of years ago, when the burglars got in.

Unknown to them, they were already under surveillance, and according to Pacquiao’s lawyer, Franklin Gacal, authorities just waited for them to enter the house.

Then the police pounced on the burglars. Reports said four persons were arrested.

“It was unsuccessful,” said the boxer’s lawyer.

“Authorities already knew of their movement and had detectives positioned in the area,” he added.

The caretaker of the mansion, Alex Oreto, was out of the house when the attempt took place.

“The detectives were just waiting to pounce on the burglars. The authorities already knew what they were up to,” Gacal said.

Entertainment news and celebrity gossip station TMZ broke the news of the burglary attempt, and wrote that investigators were still in the area hours after the incident.

Pacquiao was in Los Angeles more than a week ago to promote his Nov. 12 trilogy with Mexican rival Juan Manuel Marquez.

But while he was in the city, the 32-year-old champion did not stay in his mansion, opting to spend the night at the posh Beverly Hills Hotel.

From Mexico, the fourth and last stop of the press tour, Pacquiao and his entourage flew straight to the Los Angeles International Airport to catch the 10 p.m. flight to Manila last Thursday.

Even when he’s in training in LA, Pacquiao would rather stay at his La Palazzo apartment with his Filipino trainers. It’s his wife, Jinkee, who normally stays in the mansion.

It’s a five-bedroom, fully-furnished mansion with a swimming pool and a garage just big enough to keep the boxer’s Mercedes convertible.

“Manny was glad that the police were there to prevent the burglary,” Gacal added.

Pacquiao is gearing up for his third fight with Marquez, and the past week he was either running in the morning or flexing his muscles at the gym.

Serious training begins next week when Pacquiao’s chief trainer, Freddie Roach, arrives from LA. They will train for three weeks in Baguio City before moving to LA for the final push.