More than a week after Typhoon Ondoy’s onslaught, several parts of southern Luzon are still under water. The physical damage and devastation created by Ondoy has ran up to billions of pesos with 294 reported dead and scores more injured and missing. The emotional havoc it wrought can never be measured.
The damage was so widespread that everyone, from the richest to the poorest of the poor were victims. One low-profile Filipino-Chinese businessman who once served in the diplomatic corps, commented, “Everyone has stories to tell about how Ondoy affected us. Our businesses were affected. This has made helping others more of a challenge but we will help one another. After all, we were all victims of this tragedy.”
This Chinoy businessman is just one of the many who worry about both their own enterprises and employees and the plight of the thousands of strangers displaced and impoverished by Ondoy. For indeed, as this Filipino-Chinese industrialist has said, Ondoy spared no one and we still have to really feel Ondoy’s economic impact.
Sports personalities and organizations have of course pitched in to help victims of Typhoon Ondoy. Organizers of the Powerade RP-Smart Gilas charity match raised P1.6 million from the donations of PLDT/Smart chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan and Harbour Centre owner Mikee Romero of P500,000 each and P200,000 from Pagcor and P100,00 from Toyota’s Roberto Uy. The exhibition match between the two teams was held Monday night at the Araneta Coliseum for the benefit of the victims of Typhoon Ondoy.
Manny Pacquiao also donated P1 million to the GMA Kapuso Foundation to help Ondoy victims. Pacquiao realized the urgent need for his personal presence in distributing relief goods bought from his donation, that he risked the displeasure of trainer Freddie Roach and Mike Koncz, Pacquiao adviser, by travelling by land from Baguio City, where he has set up camp for his bout with welterweight titlist Juan Miguel Cotto, to Manila. Pacquiao opted to travel right about the time super typhoon Pepeng was about to pummel northern Luzon. Baguio was itself under signal number two while other parts of northern Luzon, not too far from Baguio, were under signal number three hoisted by PAGASA.
Other sports personalities like Sta. Lucia’s Buddy Encarnado lent a hand, according to Beth Celis of the Inquirer who reported that Encarnado was “deeply immersed in relief work” in Pasig, Marikina, Cainta, Taytay, Tanay, Taguig and Pateros.
Interim WBA super flyweight champion Nonito Donaire Jr. was, according to an email from Team Donaire, moved and saddened by the images on TV while watching 24 Oras on GMA: people fighting, pushing and trampling others for food in a relief operation; women crying the loss of their loved ones.
After receiving therefore a gift of P1 million from President Arroyo during the presentation of his new WBA super flyweight belt, Donaire, immediately made known his desire to use the entire amount in rebuilding families of stricken Ondoy victims.
Donaire’s next fight is once again hanging in the air. Donaire had hoped to fight Mexico’s Jorge Arce sometime in December but the latter’s loss to South Africa’s Simphiwe Nonggayi for the IBF title has all but aborted that fight. Donaire’s other options include going up against: Nonggayi (although such a fight might not be a box office or PPV success at all); WBA super flyweight champion, Japan’s Nobuo Nashiro, who may be compelled to fight Hugo Cazares of Mexico; or Vic Darchinyan, who, despite his loss to Joseph Agbeko, seems to be hankering for a return bout with Donaire.
The attitude of Darchinyan’s camp toward a return bout with Donaire has been somewhat enigmatic. Indianapolis Fight Sports Examiner’s Dennis Guillermo once wrote, “Donaire has been willing to do a rematch with Darchinyan but “The Raging Bull” opted to do his fighting with the microphone together with his promoter (Gary Shaw). Despite losing to Donaire, Darchinyan called his conqueror a “fraud” and said that Donaire simply got “lucky” when they fought. (Shaw) even once said that he will never allow his ward to fight Donaire again as long as he is his promoter.”
Darchinyan’s manager, Elias Nasser, is however singing a different tune, per abs-cbnnews.com, “We are looking for a rematch with Donaire. It’s a fight that people (want) to see. It’s what Vic really wants. He wants to get revenge even though we feel we have gotten over that loss with Vic’s achievements in the super fly weight division.”
Guillermo suggests that, “Donaire should take the challenge and retire his nemesis. Donaire’s star is growing while Darchinyan has fallen.” This fight will however not likely happen this year since Darchinyan will defend his WBC and WBA super flyweight titles against Tomas Rojas on Dec. 12.
Poor Donaire has ran out of opponents…again.
