COTABATO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Dec. 13, 2012) – The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines on Thursday criticized the Filipino training assistant and a foreign advisor of boxing champion Manny Pacquiao for assaulting a sports photographer following the brutal knockdown of the Philippine pride against Mexican fighter Juan Manuel Marquez in Las Vegas.
Buboy Fernandez and Michael Koncz attacked photographer Al Bello for taking pictures of the downed Filipino champion. Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach also stopped Bello from taking the photos.
The assault was witnessed by the huge crowd in the MGM Grand and photos and news of it quickly spread in the Internet and international media.
“It is clear that Bello was merely performing his obligations as a photojournalist and, besides, had every right to take pictures of the fallen Pacquiao. Koncz and Fernandez had absolutely no reason to attack him and their doing so was actually in the nature of a criminal act, just as Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach had no right to order Bello to stop taking photos.”
“Such boorish action by the members of Team Pacquiao, no matter how distraught they were by his loss, is inexcusable. We appreciate that the Nevada Athletic Commission has promised to review the incident and we hope it takes appropriate action to discipline Koncz and Fernandez. But it should not stop there. Manny Pacquiao himself should take action against these two, whose boorish and unsportsmanlike reaction to the loss can only tarnish the reputation for sportsmanship that has endeared him to millions of fans,” the NUJP said.
There was no immediate statement from the camp of Pacquiao, who is also a legislator in the Philippine. (Mindanao Examiner)
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