Pacquiao's flight to US makes emergency landing in Japan

Senator Manny Pacquiao's flight bound for Los Angeles, USA made an emergency landing in Japan on Sunday morning after a passenger needed medical treatment.

A tweet from GMA News' Mav Gonzales, however, indicated that the passenger in distress did not belong to Pacquiao's camp.

JUST IN: The LA flight Sen. Manny Pacquiao took had to make an emergency landing in Japan after a passenger needed medical attention. The said passenger is not from Team Pacquiao. @gmanews

— Mav Gonzales (@mavgonzales) July 4, 2021

An earlier report showed that a Philippine Airlines flight from Manila to Los Angeles was diverted because of a medical emergency.

Earlier, Pacquiao said that his boxing match against Errol Spence Jr. will continue as scheduled in August.

He also indicated that he will leave for the US this weekend. 

Pacquiao's lawyer  Tom Falgui said one of the passengers forgot his insulin shot but later found out that it was in the hand carry bag.

From Pacquiao’s lawyer Atty. Tom Falgui: “Our flight was diverted to haneda due to a medical emergency of one of the passengers. Apparently he forgot his insulin only to find out it was in his handcarry all along.”

— Mav Gonzales (@mavgonzales) July 4, 2021

After the plane's arrival in Japan, the senator's legal counsel said they will return to Manila following the closure of Los Angeles Immigration.

"Now that LA immigration closes from 12 midnight to 6am, we are going back to Manila for change of aircraft and crew," Falgui said.

The plane then arrived in Manila at past 11 a.m. The flight will leave again for Los Angeles this Sunday.

Duterte-Pacquiao spat

The boxing legend-lawmaker is currently at odds with President Rodrigo Duterte, his PDP-Laban partymate, after the senator made claims about corruption in the present administration.

During the inauguration of the Light Rail Transit-2 East Extension Project, Duterte advised Pacquiao to focus on his job as a lawmaker.

"Bakit ngayon ka lang nagsalita at bakit umatras ka dun sa boxing fight? Kasi alam mo pag matalo ka, you are a goner. Those are your inconsistencies,” Duterte said.

“Sit in Congress, finish and find out corruption. If not, you are a shit. A shit is a shit. Magtrabaho ka, do not go elsewhere... 'Wag kang pa-absent-absent," he added.

Pacquiao took Duterte's challenge to show evidence against corruption in a number of agencies.

In a delayed virtual press conference Saturday afternoon, Pacquiao placed several stacks of documents on his desk which he said contained evidence that backed his claim on the alleged corruption in government departments. —LBG, GMA News