There are many images in the recent Pacquiao-Hatton fight that stir the heart and move the soul.
The boxing robe of Manny Pacquiao with all the colors of the Philippine flag on it?and enhanced by sound bites of cheering countrymen?open a floodgate of indescribable patriotic fervor; the sight of the boxer deep in prayer in the corner of the ring shows the veteran boxer asking for intercession from someone Bigger than Himself.
Pacquiao further humbled himself and said the fight was just part of a day?s work. ?Nothing personal here,? he told media men. ?We just have to do what we have to do. Walang personalan dito. Trabaho lang. [Nothing personal here. It?s just work.]?
For living up to his countrymen?s expectations, Manny Pacquiao is the National Treasure of the Hour.
But to be fair, Pacquiao isn?t the only Filipino celebrity consistently making news abroad in the last 10 years. Recently Iloilo-born Filipino tenor Otoniel Gonzaga was reaping audience adulation in Vienna as Calaf in Turandot and as Bacchus in the Strauss opera, Ariadne auf Naxus. Lea Salonga is cheered as Cinderella in the Rodgers and Hammerstein musicale from China to Thailand and Singapore. Ballerina Lisa Macuja made history by becoming the first and last Filipino soloist (in fact the first foreigner) of Kirov Ballet, where the imminent Mikhail Baryshnikov and Natalia Makarova came from.
Meanwhile, the Manila-born pianist Cecile Licad started the year with a bang with an acclaimed concert at the Rockefeller Center in New York. New York Times critic Harris Goldsmith unabashedly told the pianist, ?With that performance, you have just joined the league of the world?s greatest pianists.?
Licad is the Pacquiao of the Piano in terms of respect and adulation in classical music. ?She is the greatest pianist of her generation,? declared the Queen of Piano herself, Martha Argerich from Argentina. The New Yorker described her as ?the pianists? pianist? and the Chicago Sun-Times once referred to her as ?one of the flaming talents that comes along one or two times in every generation.?
Pacquiao has been described as a ?monster??and Licad in the past has been called the same thing, or close to it.
When Licad performed in Croatia, critics described her Beethoven sonata as ?demonic? because of sheer speed and power at the keyboard. First-rate boxers and musicians go through the same regimen. Pianists log eight hours of daily piano practice, opera stars vocalize and sing late into the night while ballet dancers rip flesh and bone in daily classes for weeks before opening night. They are on stage for close to two hours to deliver magic and inspiration. For them, there is no such thing as a short-cut or a knockout.
In his latest bout, Pacquiao practiced for weeks (close to two months) and finished the fight in less than half an hour.
Filipino performing artists acclaimed in various capitals of the world deserve more than token notice from the government. They will never enjoy a pay-per-view income, only a few can buy several luxury cars and mansions and of course their highly acclaimed performances will not merit backstage greetings from ?50 congressmen? and a motley of Hollywood stars.
There is another jolting image of Pacquiao as he looks down on the fallen Hatton. His boxing shorts proclaim Caf? Puro and Motolite ads and for sure they also translate into millions.
There is a big element of patriotism, honor and pride in the recent Pacquiao-Hatton fight and I share it. But as I look at him as a human billboard, a disturbing thought just occurred to me: are we not in fact endorsing as our role model a greedy money-maker rather than a model of discipline and piety? To the producers and promoters, we ask: after earning millions in this fight, can you?for heaven?s sake?spare a part of the boxer?s body as sacred and not transform all of it into a human billboard?
Which brings us to reflect on the plight of artists with no millions in pre-performance contracts, who have to make do with modest fees compared to the millions of dollars earned by world champs.
Once again, let?s cheer Manny Pacquiao for the nth time for the extraordinary brain and brawn he has shown in the latest fight. But for once, we should also remember that the world, too, needs heroes and heroines who can warm the heart and spirit of people in these difficult and uncertain times.
After all the euphoria, there is another life to be led and this involves imbibing the beauty and magic of the arts on the global stage.
In this aspect, a Cecile Licad, an Otoniel Gonzaga, a Lea Salonga and a Lisa Macuja have done more than enough to make our country proud. They will win hearts and minds and they will prove they can make a difference?not by beating an international foe to a bloody pulp?but in showing the nobility of the human spirit through the language of music, theater and dance.
They didn?t do it because it?s ?trabaho lang.?
They did it for art, love and life?and with no hope of a motorcade or a token call from Malaca?ang.
(Pablo A. Tariman has covered the performing arts for various publications in the last 30 years.)
