There is no truth to the rumor that Manny Pacquiao tested positive for drugs and faces disqualification.
His post-fight urine test did show traces of medicine, according to scuttlebutt, but it was nothing more than the harmless Alaxan.
Pacquiao’s name is on everyone’s lips. At the Redemptorist Church during the 3:30 p.m. mass last Sunday, the priest observed that there were fewer churchgoers than usual and remarked: “Maybe they’re still watching the Pacquiao fight.”
Later at the Salon de Rose, my barber, Arnold, confessed that he was trembling while watching the fight on Solar Sports because somebody sent him a text message that Pacquiao had already lost. A customer seated next to me boasted: “My uncle and his friends in LA (Los Angeles) bet $2 million for Pacquiao.”
At the Baseline tennis courts, people paid little attention to an ongoing match as they discussed the fight, each offering his expert opinion as to why the Filipino won. “Morales wilted from the barrage of punches to his body,” said one. “But the shots that felled him were the ones to his head,” said another.
Yesterday morning when I arrived at the Cebu City Sports Center, I overheard the security guard telling the girl at the ticket counter that he was sure that Pacquiao would win after watching the sixth round. “Dere-deretso na,” he said.
Can you imagine if we had at least a hundred Manny Pacquiaos? We would be one nation in jubilation, to quote the Philippine Daily Inquirer banner headline yesterday, not for just a day or two but for the whole year. Think about how peaceful this country would be with everyone glued to their seats in movie houses or in front of television and radio sets, cheering on our compatriot.
The streets will be free of traffic; the thieves will be on vacation (not in Las Vegas, as a naughty text message that I received yesterday suggested); we will be wearing happy faces for 12 months every year; and we would always have a reason to shout proudly, as a neighbor did last Sunday, “Pilipino ako!”
Alas, we only have one Manny Pacquaio, so we will have to make do with one or two days of national unity. Then we revert back to our old quarrelsome and selfish selves.
“Sana magkaintindihan na po tayong lahat,” Pacquiao said on television after he knocked out Morales. Sorry to disappoint you, Manny, but that’s not how it’s going to be.
But since Pacquiao has the entire nation, including politicians, adoring at his feet, he could do more than just express a wish. Manny Pacquiao for President, why not? Erap Estrada knew how to throw punches only in the movies and yet he was elected President.
For his running mate, I nominate Compostela Valley Rep. Manuel Zamora. “No Fear” and “Way Kurat.” What a fearsome tandem it is going to be.
