Amid his worsening rift with officials of the ruling political party, Senator Manny Pacquiao and Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto 3^rd recently held talks that may be related to Pacquiao possibly joining the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) that Sotto chairs.

Pacquiao is currently the president of the ruling Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Laban ng Bayan (PDP-Laban).

The Pacquiao and Sotto meeting was reported just as Mayor Luis “Chavit” Singson of Narvacan, Ilocos Sur formally joined the NPC. Singson has been known as a close associate of Pacquiao and is always part of the boxer’s close entourage whenever he fights abroad.

A national news daily reported that the talks between Pacquiao and Sotto were about “where the country was headed, how the country will be run in the future and whether they can solve its problems.”

Pacquiao has never been muted about his ambitions to run for president in 2022.

However, Pacquiao’s differences with leading PDP-Laban officials like President Rodrigo Duterte who is the chairman and vice chairman Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi, is worsening.

To recall, Pacquiao opposed the holding of the PDP-Laban national assembly in Cebu last May 31, where the party adopted a resolution urging Duterte to run for vice president in 2022.

Pacquiao is now calling for a boycott of the July 17 meeting of the party.