If there is anything that has enhanced Manny Pacquiao?s public appeal as the country?s foremost boxing hero, it is his heart of gold. After his devastating conquest of Mexican David Diaz in their WBC lightweight championship fight in Las Vegas, Manny?s mind was on the hundreds of passengers who perished in the sinking of the MV Princess of the Stars of Romblon.
?I will give P3 million to the bereaved families of the victims,? he said in a press interview, adding that he would hold a fund-raising concert at which other do-gooders may pitch in with their own contributions to help assuage the suffering of the victims? families.
Pacquiao?s generosity with his fight winnings is well known. In his native General Santos City, scores of residents made a beeline to his fabulous home for their balato (small gifts) from the boxing icon following each victory in his championship fights.
During Christmas, relatives, friends and neighbors come to him for little cash gifts. Pacquiao never fails them.
In his last three championship fights with Eric Morales, Manuel Marquez and Diaz, Pacquiao is estimated to have amassed about P500 million in prize money. He earned close to $5 million in his lightweight title fight with Diaz?$3 million as his guaranteed purse and more than $1.5 million as his share from the pay-per-view ticket sales.
He still has two or three more major fights ahead of him, all assuring him of even richer purses. His next fights could be with the undefeated Edwin Valero and the British champion, Ricky Hatton. An encounter with Hatton alone is predicted to net each fighter at least $10 million.
Pacquiao still earns several millions more as a top endorser of Philippine products led by San Miguel beer. He has become not only the richest Filipino boxer of all time but also the first Filipino and Asian champion in four class divisions.
But Pacquiao has been chastened rather than intoxicated by his string of successes in life. He has shown the hallowed Christian virtues of humility and compassion for the poor.
It is not hard to find the reason for his charitable impulses. Coming himself from a poor family, he knows the miseries of the destitute. His instincts tell him to share a little of his fortune with them.
There are several rich families in our country but none, unlike Paacquiao, has shown the willingness to give financial help to victims of big natural and man-made calamities.
Pacquiao is truly the exemplar of the self-made man. To be a fight champion, he has submitted himself to the rigors of training. He has a strong sense of self-dicipline. He was a high school dropout, but in his determination to improve himself, he has taken up special studies. Now he is taking up a college course after hurdling the requirements for a high school diploma.
We laughed at his pidgin English whenever he was interviewed after winning a fight in the past. In his last fight, he was speaking in polished sentences. His pursuit of education is, of course, in preparation for the future.
When he hangs up his gloves and with ambition as his motive force, Pacquiao will be looking for other fields to conquer. I know that his heart lies in politics, having once attempted to seek a House seat representing GenSan.
Pacquiao is endowed with a pair of golden fists and a golden heart. With his iron will and passion for hard work, he may yet realize his dream to become a congressman. He faces a golden political future.
