MANILA, Dec. 7 ? Luigi Onglao, a Filipino-Chinese citizen, began his day with a mobile phone message from his best friend at five in the morning, reminding him of the boxing match scheduled in Las Vegas, United States for Saturday night (Sunday morning in Manila) between Filipino Lightweight Champion Manny Pacquiao and American-Mexican boxer “Golden Boy” Oscar De La Hoya. “I will be watching the boxing match in a cinema with my family,” the text message said. “My whole family will also watch the match, and I hope we see you there,” he replied. Onglao was only one of the millions of Filipinos who nervously sat down in front of movie screens, television sets, and radios praying that their “Filipino idol” would win against the powerful De La Hoya. Time may have stood still in this country of 90 million as one of their countrymen was competing against an opponent whose physique was more superior. Judging from previous bouts, Filipinos believed that Pacquiao would dictate the tempo of the match. However, in this fight, everyone knew that the odds were against the “pound-for-pound king.” The sentiment was perfectly illustrated in a billboard of a product endorsed by Pacquiao, where Pacquiao was kneeling down in the direction of a corner turnbuckle. Some fans interpreted the advertisement as Manny praying for nothing but a miracle. “Time to make history,” the headline of a local newspaper read. It added that the “Dream Match is a mismatch: Pacquiao 3 lb (pounds) lighter than (De La) Hoya.” It seemed that most Filipinos thought that Pacquiao was the underdog. That was why millions of them expressed a collective sigh of relief when Pacquiao was clearly hammering his opponent in the first seven rounds. And when De La Hoya surrendered on the eighth round, just about everyone was jubilantly jumping for the victory which analysts could have only thought as impossible. No military offensives, zero crime. As early as Saturday, the Armed Forces of the Philippines announced that it will suspend all military operations throughout the Philippine archipelago to accommodate the soldiers and personnel who have been eager to watch the Pacquiao-De La Hoya match. The soldiers and their families were also treated to a free airing of the fight in gymnasiums inside the headquarters of the Philippine Army, the Philippine Navy, and the Philippine Air Force. Military troops were contented in watching the match with plastic chairs and wooden benches, or if they wanted to view the fight in an air-conditioned auditorium, they could just pay 500 pesos (10 U.S. dollars) per person. If this was surprising, imagine criminals taking a break. The Philippine National Police in the country’s financial hub of Makati reported no incidence of crime for the past few hours that the match was being aired. Police in Quezon City, the biggest district of Metro Manila, also recorded ‘zero crime’ during the fight. This type of phenomenon only happens when Pacquiao has a scheduled match. Fan fare Just how big was this particular fight in the Philippines? It was enough to capitalize on its commercial potential. Viewing areas were abundant throughout the country. Cinemas to small grocery stores, stadiums, basketball courts, and even cock-fighting arenas, all aired the fight live by pay-per-view. A shopping mall even provided a projector so that 4,000 people can enjoy the match simultaneously. Cinemas would charge each viewer 300 to 500 pesos (6 to 10 dollars) for the “Dream Match” between Pacquiao and De La Hoya. Restaurants and bars were also fully packed at 8 a.m (0000 GMT), to avoid jostling for seats in this highly anticipated fight. But for those who were not able to purchase a movie ticket or reserve a seat in a restaurant, they had the option to watch Pacquiao and De La Hoya go against one another for free. The match had a delayed telecast over GMA 7, one of the country’s biggest television networks. Hometown Hero Even in the war-affected southern region of Mindanao, there were only minor reports of clashes between rebels and soldiers. Pacquiao hails from General Santos City, part of the volatile province of South Cotabato. Similar to the traffic situation in the country’s capital, Metro Manila, the residents of General Santos City emptied the streets as they scour for television sets and viewing halls to watch one of their own deliver a dominating performance against one of boxing’s greats. Despite not winning in the 2004 elections when Pacquiao ran for a legislative seat, the people of General Santos still show their love to the “People’s Champ” by cheering relentlessly when Pacquiao is winning and cowering repeatedly if their hero was being hit by his opponent. After the fight, Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo immediately extended her congratulations to the Filipino boxing champion. “As the whole world watched in awe, once again, Manny prevailed convincingly and in style. Showing true Filipino grit and grace with pre-match odds against him, his triumph is again a great unifier of Filipinos here and all over the world. Manny indeed is making boxing history,” said her spokeman Jesus Dureza. “While he was an underdog to bookies and matchmakers abroad, he was already a winner to all Filipinos. We are all truly proud of him,” Dureza said. (PNA/Xinhua)
