THE Commission on Elections on Tuesday decided not to stop the broadcast of senatorial candidate Manny Pacquiao’s boxing match against Timothy Bradley on April 9 in Las Vegas.
Comelec Chairman Andres Bautista told reporters there was no “justiciable controversy” in Pacquiao’s case because the fight had yet to happen.
“The Comelec en banc believes that, as of this point, there is still no justiciable controversy,” Bautista said.
He said the case was presumptive and that there were no formal complaints filed in accordance with Comelec rules and procedures.
“We are supposed to rule on actual controversies involving rights, which are legally demandable,” Bautista said.
“We cannot operate in terms of possibilities. We do not give hypothetical opinions. We do not give advisory opinions as a quasi-judicial body.”
Bautista said the coming boxing match was not within the Comelec’s control, and that it did not have the power to stop its airing over radio and television.
He said once a formal petition was filed before the Comelec, that would be the time they would decide on Pacquiao’s fight.
“We will act on it if and when the complaint is filed,” he said.
In February, senatorial candidate Walden Bello filed a petition urging the Comelec to decide if Pacquiao’s coming match would violate election rules.
He also asked the Comelec to determine if the extensive media coverage might give Pacquiao a “distinct advantage” over the other candidates.
But Bello did not file a disqualification petition against the boxer.
