MANILA, Philippines — Manny Pacquiao will again be seen live in Manila on Sunday as free wide-screen telecasts of the boxer’s rematch with Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez will be shown in the city’s sports complexes.
Mayor Alfredo Lim said he asked city administrator Jesus Mari Marzan and parks and recreation bureau chief, Engineer Deng Manimbo, to prepare the live-via-satellite airing of “Unfinished Business” on 16 x 24 ft projector screens for Manila’s residents.
“Alam naman natin na lahat ng Pilipino ay gustong-gusto na mapanood nang live ang laban ng ating pinagmamalaking ‘Pambansang Kamao’ kaya ginawan natin ng paraan na pati mga mahihirap ay magkaroon din nang ganitong pagkakataon (We know that all Filipinos want to watch the boxing champ’s fight live, so we looked for a way so even the poor may see the match as it happens),” he said.
The fight for the World Boxing Council super featherweight title will be held in Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino on Saturday evening in Las Vegas, Nevada (Sunday morning in Manila.
Marzan said they made representations with Solar Sports Entertainment’s Wilson Tieng, so the no-commercial-break bout could be shown at no cost to the public.
Tickets, he added, were set to be given at the venue entrances on a first-come, first-serve basis to avoid overcrowding.
The facilities being eyed for the free feature are: Tondo Sports Complex in District 1 (1,500 capacity); Patricia playground in District 2 (1,500); Rasac playground in District 3 (1,000); Dapitan Sports Complex in District 4 (2,000); San Andres Sports Complex in District 5 (5,000); and Sarmiento Basketball Court in District 6 (1,000).
The previous matches of Pacquiao, the “adopted son of Manila,” were also shown live in the city’s sports complexes during the term of Mayor Lito Atienza, Lim’s staunch rival and Pacquiao’s close friend.
