Sen. Manny Pacquiao shared a tweet about prioritizing one’s family days after his post on time management gained criticisms from some Filipinos who recalled his attendance record in the senate.
The boxer-politician posted a picture of his family and captioned it with the text “Make family a priority. #happySunday”
His previous tweet on his profile talked about time management, particularly reminding the public to prioritize what they think is important for them and to learn to allot a period for it.
Its caption reads: “Prioritize what is important each day of your life. You have time for what you choose to have time for. #valuetime”
It earned criticisms from some Filipinos who pointed out how he should prioritize his work as a legislator, recalling his low attendance record in plenary sessions.
“Self-righteous, meaningless words from the PH Senate’s top absentee,” a Twitter user said.
Another user responded to his post by retweeting it with a caption that said, “So I guess this means hindi mo priority ang trabaho mo as a legislator given your dismal attendance record in both houses, noh?”
Another Filipino recalled some of the remarks the boxer-politician has uttered in light of concerns on how he would balance his time between sports and politics given that he entered the field of public service.
Priorities, priorities
Pacquiao has made various pronouncements in the past about quitting sports or allotting more time for his legislative duties ever since he added politics in his career.
In 2015, he said that he would have to give up one of his careers if he was elected as a senator, although he didn’t explicitly mention which one. That time, he served as representative of Sarangani while juggling his profession as a renowned boxer.
“Malaking responsibilidad, kailangan mag focus na sa trabaho. Kaya nga matagal ako nagdesisyon,” Pacquiao said before.
“Pinagisipan natin ‘yan, kung ano ‘yung I give-up ko sa mga pinagkakaabalahan ko, to focus on serving the people,” he added.
Pacquiao uttered a similar remark the following year but added that he cannot guarantee a spotless attendance record in the Senate’s plenary sessions.
Reports note that as of June 2019, he has one of the lowest attendance in the 17th Congress, having attended only 197 out of 229 sessions.
Apart from being a boxer and a legislator, he is a brand ambassador of an online shopping portal.
Pacquiao is also slated to appear in two movies, namely “Malvar” and “Freedom Fighters.”
Filipinos criticized him for devoting his time in such endeavors, reminding him that he is a public official who is supposed to serve Filipinos and prioritize legislature above all else.
“Pumasok naman po kayo @MannyPacquiao, ‘di po kayo hinalal para mag-boxing at gumawa ng pelikula,” a Twitter user previously said.
Pacquiao will serve in the Senate until his term ends in 2022.