All's well that ends well

MANILA, Philippines - On the verge of divorce just a few days ago, Manny Pacquiao and Solar Entertainment are back in each other’s arms.

Last Wednesday, Pacquiao announced from his Los Angeles apartment his decision to rescind his contract with Solar and change media partners to ABS-CBN. The day before, Solar signed a block-time agreement to air Pacquiao’s May 2 fight against Ricky Hatton in Las Vegas on the GMA network. And the day before that, Pacquiao received P15 million from Solar, representing 25 percent of his P60 million fee for the exclusive Philippine TV rights to his fight.

Pacquiao made the switch despite a live contract with Solar up to 2011.

Three weeks ago, Solar chairman William Tieng met ABS-CBN chairman Gabby Lopez at Pacquiao’s request to explore the possibility of working together in airing the coming fight. They ended the meeting without coming to terms, leading Solar to eventually sign up with GMA.

After Pacquiao appeared in an ABS-CBN video declaring the switch, Solar consulted its lawyers and took the position that its contract with the boxing icon was iron-clad. Convinced that Pacquiao had been misled into thinking there were grounds for rescission, Solar president Wilson Tieng and chief operating officer Peter Chanliong flew to Los Angeles last Friday night to iron out the problem.

Apparently, Pacquiao decided on the switch without consulting his closest advisers, including legal counsel Franklin (Jeng) Gacal who was in Manila when the fighter met with ABS-CBN agents in Los Angeles. Another adviser Wakee Salud was in Cebu and said he was surprised by the decision.

But even before Tieng and Chanliong met with Pacquiao, the fighter had already made up his mind to retract. A source said Gacal, who immediately left for Los Angeles when he heard about the switch, explained to Pacquiao the legal consequences if he pursued the move. Top Rank chairman Bob Arum, who arranges Pacquiao’s fights in the US, reportedly reminded the icon that “a contract is a contract.”

Chanliong, who arrives in Manila this morning, said it didn’t take long for Pacquiao to sign a letter rescinding the rescission. Tieng and Chanliong visited Pacquiao in his La Palazzo apartment in the La Brea district of Hollywood late Friday night. After playing darts with friends in the living room, Pacquiao retired to his second-level bedroom where he and Gacal met with the Solar executives.

“It took just a few minutes for Manny to sign the letter,” said Chanliong in a phone call from Los Angeles. “Manny was man enough to admit the mistake. He was remorseful. Manny showed character in reversing course. He was misled and there was a misrepresentation of facts.”

Chanliong declined to identify who was responsible for misleading Pacquiao but it was rumored that a former ABS-CBN lawyer, accompanied by a broadcaster, prepared the letter of intent to switch and the letter of rescission to Solar. Chanliong said if the rumor is true, the lawyer, in trying to advise Pacquiao, was “conflicted” because of his ties with ABS-CBN.

Chanliong mentioned that with the resolution of the issue, Pacquiao told the visitors he could now concentrate on his training.

“Manny’s on track,” said Chanliong. “He weighs about 148 pounds, just right at this point in his training.” Chanliong said Solar would call a press conference to formally announce the retraction tomorrow.

In Manila, Solar chairman William Tieng said yesterday Solar harbored no bitter feelings.

“We at Solar are ready to sacrifice for Manny and try to do everything possible for him because he sacrifices for all of us as a fighter,” said Tieng. “Let’s put this incident behind us, forget it and move on. There’s a fight in the ring to be won. We hope the public understands that we had to defend ourselves because those who tried to manipulate Manny drew first blood. We always believed that in the end, truth would prevail.”

In a press statement issued Saturday night, Solar and Pacquiao announced the resolution of the “unfortunate misunderstanding.”

Lawyer Enrique de la Cruz Jr. of the PECABAR Law Office said he was ready to file a case in court today if the retraction was not made.

“The moral lesson is to trust the parties involved in a contract and in complying with the terms of the contract, act in good faith,” said de la Cruz, who was educated at Harvard like Arum. “Manny was made to believe there were breaches in the contract. I’m sure there will be no more repetition of this incident in Manny’s future fights. We all learned how important it is to talk with your partners before making abrupt and unilateral decisions without checking the records.”

De la Cruz said he knew Pacquiao would realize the right thing to do.

“Manny is bigger than all of us,” he said. “He’s an icon and legend who does his best for our country and the public. Some people may try to induce him or fool him but he’s an intelligent person and ultimately, he’ll do the right thing. Manny will know what to do in case someone tries to mislead him again.”

Solar vice president Jude Turcuato said Solar’s block-time contract with GMA is on a fight-to-fight basis.

“Under the terms of Solar’s contract with Manny and MP Promotions, it has exclusive rights to air his fights up to 2011 and has the option to choose media partners, if any,” said Turcuato. “Going to court was the absolute last resort in addressing this issue. That’s why Mr. Tieng and Mr. Chanliong went to the US for just one night so they could talk to Manny and avoid a situation. Now that everything has been cleared, it’s back to work.”