MANILA, Philippines — GMA-7 PUBLICITY officer Barbette Atienza was still in a good mood when I first talked to her early Saturday morning, just before the scheduled 9 a.m. ?sendoff? press conference for Manny Pacquiao.
Barbette, who used to cover the sports beat for print, said she had just arrived at Gourdo?s, site of the presscon jointly hosted by GMA 7 and Solar Entertainment, who were also signing a contract that day for the television coverage of the Pacquiao-Barrera fight in Las Vegas on Oct. 7.
I promised Barbette I would show up, even if it was a column day and I would have to skip my 11 a.m. radio program.
However, just as I was getting ready to go, it started raining cats and dogs. I decided to abandon all plans of leaving the house.
***
After lunch, I called up Barbette for an update. This time, though, she no longer sounded cheerful. Usually an easygoing person, Barbette was very angry, exasperated and ready to wage war.
In between grunts and deep sighs, Barbette informed me that the ?Will to Win? fight card would be aired live?well, almost, give or take a few minutes on radio and television.
Other scribes who attended said the presscon was really one big sendoff for Pacquiao.
The big story, according to one of the scribes, was that Barbette was mobbed by some guests over umbrellas.
***
The way I understand it, work for this presscon was divided between Solar and GMA 7. Solar was supposed to invite the sports media while GMA 7 took care of entertainment beat reporters.
What neither group had not expected was the appearance of gatecrashers?entities who claim to be members of the media but are not. They present all sorts of fake IDs with strange sounding publication names at the reception desk.
But they usually manage to get into even the most exclusive media conferences.
It?s easy to spot them. They usually eat the equivalent of three meals in one sitting and make sure there are leftovers to stow away in a plastic bag.
If they?re lucky, they even manage to extort some cash from VIPs. These entities are collectively called ?haoshiaos.?
***
Anyway, when the ?haoshiaos? saw that Barbette was giving away umbrellas to the media, they rushed over to her, each one demanding an umbrella from her, too.
Barbette, who by now is familiar with their faces, recognized them and politely refused.
All hell broke loose as the fake media people screamed and raved, leaving Barbette with no choice but to give each of the haoshiaos an umbrella. In exchange for her life.
No wonder Barbette was in a fighting mood when she got back to the office. .
***
It was just like old times when I visited the PBA office in Libis last week.
Familiar faces like those of OIC Sonny Barrios and former legal counsel Butch Cleofe, who was also visiting, greeted me.
Sonny was busy preparing the budget for the 2007-2008 season that will be presented to the board during the first meeting in Macau, and the new playing rules which will have to be formally approved.
It?s true that chair Tony Chua reports regularly at the PBA. He was there too, when I visited. Had his hands full with paperwork.
Incidentally, while Solar will produce the opening day extravaganza of the PBA this October, it will still be ABC 5 that will air it.
