Upon arrival at the Centennial International Airport in Paranaque, Metro Manila Friday morning, Manny Pacquiao and his entourage were met by hundreds of adoring Filipinos eager to beam at least a once-in-a-lifetime glimpse at their conquering hero. Pacquiao is fresh from having written an unprecedented piece of boxing world history when he won his seventh world title in as many weight divisions over the worthy and tough Puerto Rican champion in Miguel Cotto last November 14 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.A., making this familiar event of heavier magnitude than his previous conquests of Barrera, Morales and the equally great dela Hoya.
To allow the greater multitude of the common folks to see the champion, as usual Pacquiao was installed to stand on an open truck while being accompanied by his wife Jinky and some prominent figures in Philippine government, including environment secretary Lito Atienza, a long time father – figure supporter of the Filipino icon. Not only at the sight of their hero, people who lined the streets of the crowded Metro Manila were also treated with free T-shirts thrown at them by the champion himself. A two-letter figure “MP” appeared on each T-shirt and is colored in mimicry of the Philippine flag. The crippling humdrum of everydays in the life of the common Filipino that populates the largely poverty – stricken nook and crannies of this tiny archipelagic island nation in eastern Pacific is at least made frolicsome and high in hopes at the sight of Pacquiao competes and triumphs in his sport on the world stage. Pacquiao is by far the most famous citizen of the country.
But when the exhilaration brought forth by the celebration of Pacquiao’s mammoth victory transpires, a respectable number of Filipinos would resume their detrimental ways. Now they treat him a God, tomorrow would make him an object of mockery. A certified international figure, Pacquiao being caught up in ambush interviews in English is a common incident but, too bad, some people who wildly cheered him in victory would make his effort at the English language a laughing stuff, and raise their eyebrows in disdainful remark upon coming across a boxing article by Pacquiao written in English. Not that this writer favors Pacquiao having an alleged illicit love affair, but still it is extremely tough to comprehend some of his fellow Filipinos comparing him to the look of a “monkey,” while many others who saw him at fault with which he bear the other facets of his life throw verbal jabs at him in an incredibly uncivilized manner. His foray into music is also widely criticized, prodding him mockingly to just concentrate on boxing. But Manny has been doing boxing all the way to highest of the highest pedestals of the sport. Didn’t he? It’s just plain ironic to contemplate such a state of affairs, considering the people’s high regard for education in this country. Perhaps the deep-seated Filipino culture of crab mentality is by far sounder than education in the eyes of many Filipinos out there, putting social and economic progress in this dearly loved country in stark obscurity.
