MANILA – The ongoing negotiations for the Manny Pacquiao vs Floyd Mayweather, Jr. mega fight are said to be tough because of money matters. Now, even Pacquiao’s congressional bid in 2010 is posing some scheduling problems.

Top Rank Promotions head Bob Arum revealed that the fight could be held on March or May, depending on whether Pacquiao will run unopposed or not.

“If he has to run against an opponent, then he'll have to start campaigning for the May 10 election on March 25… If that's the case, then Mayweather would have to be willing to fight March 13,” Arum told the Los Angeles Times.

Pacquiao is set to file his Certificate of Candidacy (CoC) for congressman of Sarangani Province Tuesday afternoon.

The Top Rank big boss disclosed that he, Mayweather and “many others” would rather hold the fight on May 1.

“Obviously, we could use the extra month and a half to get ready for something like that," Arum stated.

He went on to say that Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is interested in hosting a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight in his football stadium.

Arum, however, refused to comment on the status of their financial negotiations with Mayweather’s camp.

2nd congressional bid

Pacquiao, the only seven-division champion in the world, will be embarking on his second political bid. He lost to Rep. Darlene Antonino-Custodio in the South Cotabato congressional race in 2007.

The Filipino boxing sensation will reportedly face Roy Chiongbian, a top executive of Eastern Shipping Lines. He was chosen by the Chiongbian family as their official candidate in 2010.

The businessman is the youngest brother of incumbent Sarangani Rep. Erwin Chiongbian. Their mother, Priscilla Chiongbian, is a former provincial governor.

Arum, for his part, said: “People are trying to talk the opponent out of it… I don't know how they're doing it, or who the person is. I'm over here [in Las Vegas] and getting stories from a dozen different people.”

Pacquiao has already proclaimed the candidates of local party People’s Champ Movement (PCM) for the 2010 elections in Sarangani Province.

Pacquiao, the PCM chairman, led the oath-taking and proclamation of the local party’s line-up for the province’s 7 towns.

PCM’s theme for the 2010 elections was apparently inspired by the successful US presidential campaign of Barack Obama – “Change!” – With reports from The Los Angeles Times, Agence France-Presse, and Anne Santos, ABS-CBN General Santos