MANILA, Philippines?Abe King sat on his luggage by the entrance of the Knottsberry Hotel when I arrived from some last-minute shopping at Lakewood.
Abe, Bong Alvarez and I were the only ones left in the hotel. All the others had checked out either to catch an earlier flight to Manila or?like Sonny Cabatu, Gerry Esplana and Manny Victorino who were taking a vacation?move in with relatives in the Los Angeles area.
With everybody gone, Abe said an inexplicable pall of gloom descended on him. Suddenly it was so quiet. He felt so alone.
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At the Los Angeles airport that night, Bong and I met up with the Philippine contingent that went to Las Vegas for the Pacquiao-Marquez fight.
Unless you go to Las Vegas for live action, you could only view the fight live in the US if you subscribe to pay-per-view, which costs roughly $50.
What the Filipinos here usually do is stay in one house, chip in for the cost of the pay-per-view, plus the food and beverage, and have a party!
According to the butcher in the Filipino store, an occasion like this usually calls for a dish of grilled pork liempo with cold beer.
He said we were lucky there were still several slices left on the eve of the fight.
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While Manny Pacquiao promised to return back to Manila immediately after the fight, he was not in the group that boarded PAL flight 103 Tuesday evening.
Pacquiao?s business manager Eric Pineda said that while it has been the champ?s practice to fly back to his homeland immediately after a fight, this time had to be different.
Pacquiao has to wait until the swelling on his face subsides and the aches disappear. Parts of his face are still puffy from blows he received during the match. The cuts on his right eyebrow had to be stitched and his right eye is still completely shut.
?Manny has to look good for the hero?s welcome awaiting him in Manila,? said Eric?s wife Macy.
Eric confirmed the two other fights lined up this year for the new WBC super featherweight champion.
?The next is scheduled this June in Macau against WBC lightweight title holder David Diaz and the other one in Dubai this November against Golden Boy Oscar Dela Hoya,? he said.
Oscar de la Hoya? Three fights in a year? Can his body take all that punishment? Will it have time to recover?
Eric said yes, because Manny is in the prime of his life and at his peak of his career. Manny?s schedule, by the way, to return to Manila was postponed to Monday.
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In the plane, I told the lady next to me that her gift of healing would?ve been put to the test had Pacquiao boarded the same plane with us.
The lady introduced herself as Techie Rodriguez, founder of The Lord?s Flock Community, a religious foundation now based in Pasadena where she resides.
She?s not into sports, Techie said, but she knows that Magnolia cager Enrico Villanueva belongs to her congregation.
We got to talking about Father Fernando Suarez, the healing priest and she casually mentioned that she, too, was bestowed the same gift of healing by God.
A gift of healing and a gift of knowledge?like if you lost something, she would know where to find it.
?It is not I who heals, I am only an instrument of God,? Techie clarified, as she related some cases she has successfully handled.
?These are all documented,? she said.
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Of course, I was baffled. She has caused the blind to see, the lame to walk and the clinically dead to rise.
Naturally, I asked to be healed of all my maladies. She obliged, saying she was willing to help anyone who needed to be healed. Free of charge.
?You will lose the gift if you charge anything,? she said.
Techie said those who need healing can reach her at No. 5 Catanduanes street in Quezon City, near the corner of West avenue and Del Monte Ave. Her number is 3711221.
