Lawyer Romulo “Romy” Macalintal is best known as one of the top election lawyers around, his most renowned client no less than President Macapagal Arroyo herself. He is currently chief legal counsel for Team Unity.
He is also familiar to television viewers as an erstwhile newscaster and talk show host.
Unbeknownst to many however, Atty. Mac is also an avid boxing fan whose collection of clippings and photographs could rival that of any newspaper archive.
His most prized possession however, is an autographed collection of photographs and clippings of the great Muhammad Ali which he patiently put together during his student days.
When Ali fought Joe Frazier in the “Thrilla in Manila” in 1975, Macalintal was in his second year at the University of the East Law School, at the same time working at the United States Veterans Administration in Manila. He couldn’t pass up the opportunity to get see The Greatest in person.
So he went to the then Manila Hilton (now Waterfront on U.N. Ave.) where Ali was billeted and sought to see him, lugging his precious Ali collection. Expectedly, he was rebuffed by the hotel staff and security, but he persisted and was able to wangle an audience with Albert Griffin, an African-American lawyer in Ali’s party.
Griffin was impressed with the photo and clippings album, but seriously doubted if he could arrange a personal meet with the Champ. Macalintal however, was not to be easily discouraged. He persuaded the American lawyer in the name of their fraternal ties as disciples of the law, to at least show the album to Ali.
Now, the album was no ordinary collection as Macalintal had painstakingly cut out the contents from local publications from the early times of Cassius Clay in the mid-60’s, to his transformation as Muhammad Ali, to his suspension from boxing with his draft problems to his dramatic return.
Griffin reluctantly brought the collection up to the 21st floor Presidential Suite where Ali had the entire floor to himself (Griffin was on the 7th floor) and disappeared leaving Macalintal fidgeting in the hallway.
Griffin came rushing out huffing and puffing and pulled Atty. Mac into the room saying, “The champ wants to see you! Come, before he changes his mind.”
Inside the suite, the then 28-year-old Macalintal was politely frisked by security and pronounced “clean”. He was then escorted to Ali’s private quarters where he sat on a couch waiting.
“He then shook my hands, completely enveloping my hands with his gigantic paws. It took all I could muster not to faint,” Macalintal now confides.
“I couldn’t believe my good fortune and wanted to pinch myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. To have caught a glimpse of my idol at the hotel lobby would have been a thrill, but this was ridiculously unbelievable. I knew my friends would not believe me if I told them I had seen Ali at his private quarters. They didn’t.”
But there was more to come.
Ali practically gushed over the album, a veritable rarity as it was culled from Philippine newspapers and magazines which he was laying eyes on for the very first time (the internet was but an iota of an idea then).
Ali then asked Griffin and his security people to leave them alone, to the protestations of the bodyguards but Ali made himself clear with a stern second command: “Leave him alone with me.”
Poring over the album, Ali pronounced it in his own words: “authentic,”, compared to the numerous paraphernalia presented to him in many other places which were obviously hurriedly prepared in anticipation of his arrival.
Ali asked the wide-eyed Macalintal what he wanted him to do with the album and the young working student stammered, “I would be honored if you would autograph it, sir.”
Ali immediately obliged and scrawled a dedication and again scanned the contents.
He latched on to a particular picture in which he characteristically exclaimed “Hey look-ain’t I beautiful here?” And then the clincher “Would you mind if I signed this too?”
Eventually, he ended up signing about 7 photographs of his own choice.
Ali then asked Macalintal what he was going to do afterwards. It was about 3 p.m. Informed that there was a class to be attended at 6, the Champ remarked it was still early and would Mac “want to watch a movie with me?”
“Where?” asked the dumbfounded future abogado de campanilla. “Oh right here. I brought my 8 mm projector and some films. I only watch crime movies and cartoons. Let’s watch “The Lawbreaker” series of Lee Marvin.”
After setting up the projector, Ali then proceeded to casually sprawl down on the carpet and Macalintal gingerly followed suit. The latter says the highlight of that momentous afternoon was when a couple of times The Greatest himself stood up to make juice and get biscuits and served them to his guest.
“Imagine Muhammad Ali personally serving me juice and biscuits as we watched a movie in his sanctum sanctorum!”
When it was time to go, Ali asked his guest if he wanted to take pictures.
Flustered, Mac replied he didn’t have a camera with him (he never dreamed he would need it). Ali then phoned Griffin and instructed him to arrange for Macalintal to be at the Folk Arts Theatre (where he held his training sessions) the following Sunday so he could take pictures.
Macalintal remembers every minute of that visit like it was yesterday. And to this day, he remains a boxing fan, despite his involvement in high-profile legal jousts.
(To be continued)
