Manny to clear mess with Rod

Manny Pacquiao will have to hope for the best, and only the best, when he sits down with Rod Nazario.

"Mag-uusap kami kasi ‘yun ang importante," said Pacquiao yesterday amid loud reports of his seemingly strained relationship with his business manager.

"Mag-uusap kami pag ayos na ang schedule ko. Huli kasi kami nag-usap nasa San Francisco pa ako. Pero mula nang bumalik ako, hindi pa," he added.

At least for now, Pacquiao said he would rather keep quiet.

"Baka kasi magkamali na naman ako. Pero mag-uusap kami," he said.

"No comment muna," added the Filipino boxing hero during the official launch of his latest TV commercial for Surf, a leading brand of detergent, at the Westin Philippine Plaza.

Pacquiao arrived from the US the other day and woke up to yesterday’s newspaper reports that Nazario, his old, reliable business manager of 10 years, wants to part ways with him.

Nazario said it’s all up to Pacquiao to choose between him and the "new" group led by manager Shelly Finkel and trainer Freddie Roach, the same American pair who once handled Mike Tyson.

"If anyone among those people, including Roach, eh hindi niya kaya bitawan, I’ll be out. It’s them or me," Nazario said.

Pacquiao took a one-week trip to the US in the hope of tackling his alleged failure to remit his taxes to the US Internal Revenue Service for his previous fights in the US.

Pacquiao has fought seven times in the US since 2001, winning the first six while totally under Nazario, and losing his last under a new group led by Shelly Finkel.

Apparently, Pacquiao was "made to believe" by the new group that Nazario had failed to remit the

proper taxes to the US government for his previous fights.

Nazario belied these allegations Tuesday night, showing mediamen a pile of photocopied checks amounting to almost $190,000 and paid to the IRS.

Nazario said the amount represents Pacquiao’s taxes in his previous fights, starting with Lehlo Ledwaba in 2001 where he received a $40,000 purse.

"Pero hindi tugma," said Pacquiao of the same documents, copies of which he brought with him to the US for his American lawyers, Keith Davidson and Nick Khan, to scrutinize.

Pacquiao’s earnings sky-rocketed since he knocked out Ledwaba at the MGM Grand, leading up to a whopping $1.750 million purse for fighting and losing to Mexico’s Erik Morales last month also at the MGM.

Asked if there was any positive development on his reported tax woes, Pacquiao also refused to comment.

"Galing nga ako doon pero actually ayaw ako pagsalitain ng mga abugado ko," he said.

Back to the TV commercial, which was ran many times, through a 29-inch TV, during the launch, Pacquiao kept on smiling with approval.

The commercial, aimed at "saluting the dignity of the Filipino" through Pacquiao’s heroic stand against Morales, will run for at least six months, according to Unilever executive and boxing aficionado Chito Macapagal.

"Ang ganda!" said Pacquiao in describing the commercial.

The ad features distinct faces of hardworking Filipinos, representing the noble heroes of today’s society.

"We want to raise the level of awareness of our people in giving value to Filipino labor. Manny personifies the ideals of how Filipinos are trying to excel in what they do and how they bring honor to the country," said Macapagal, general manager for corporate development of Unilever Philippines.