GENERAL SANTOS CITY – Thousands of Manny Pacquiao fans on Monday trooped to the airport to welcome the homecoming of “PacMan.”
A large crowd, led by Mayor Pedro Acharon Jr., joined the “people’s champ” in a motorcade around the city where thousands yelled “Mabuhay ka PacMan [long live Pacman]!”
“This is the first time I saw somebody being adored like this,” City Councilor Sherlyn Ba?as-Nograles told The Manila Times.
Councilor Lourdes Casabuena said thousands of pupils and students from public and private schools lined up the streets to greet the boxing idol.
“Win or loss, meron man talaga kaming inihahandang hero’s welcome for Manny, who gave honor not only to General Santos but to the whole Filipino people,” said Mayor Pedro Acharon Jr., who calls the champ the “Mexican boxers’ destroyer.”
“Manny’s achievement surpassed the promotion of the city as the tuna capital of the country, the highly expensive preparation for the yearly Kalilangan festivity, and most of all, has enkindled the interest of the youth in sports,” Nograles said.
“Now we don’t need to spend much to catch tourists’ attention. The eyes of the world are now set on us because of PacMan,” she said.
Pacquiao promised to assist the local government in putting up a multimillion-peso sports gymnasium in the city.
Unknown to many, Pacquiao is an elementary dropout. But he still intends to pursue his studies.
In a previous interview, he said he wanted to finish AB Political Science.
“Gusto ko kasi na mayroon akong kurso na matapos after mag-retire ako sa boxing [I hope to earn a degree before I retire from my boxing profession],” Pacquiao said.
