Home is the world?s best pound-for-pound fighter.
Boxing champion Manny Pacquiao received a grand welcome befitting a sports hero as he arrived from Los Angeles, California before dawn yesterday, three days after scoring a stunning eight-round demolition of Oscar de la Hoya in their Dream Match at MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
From the airport to his stops at the Renaissance Hotel in Makati, Quiapo Church in Manila, Malaca?ang Palace and GMA-7 network in Quezon City, Pacquiao was mobbed by fans and media, drawing praises and commendation for his feat validating his status as the best fighter in the world today.
President Arroyo conferred on Pacquiao the title ?Ambassador of Peace? when he made a courtesy call at Malaca?ang. Pacquiao had been given the Order of Sikatuna after a previous victory.
?It was a mismatch the other way around. You are not an underdog,? Mrs. Arroyo told Pacquiao, referring to oddsmakers? predictions of a De la Hoya win.
Pacquiao, who wore a black long-sleeved shirt and blue jeans, told the President that some sportswriters had apologized to him for underestimating him.
He said that with hard training, he knew that ?God?s with me when I entered the ring.?
Pacquiao and his entourage, including Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Lito Atienza and Deputy National Security Adviser Chavit Singson, attended a Thanksgiving Mass at the Quiapo Church before calling on the President.
Monsignor Clemente Ignacio officiated the Mass that started at past 8 a.m.
Ignacio believed God was with Pacquiao during the fight, noting that the Filipino boxing hero doesn?t forget to pray before each fight.
In a speech after the Mass, Pacquiao recalled the concern of many people on his fight versus the taller and heftier De la Hoya.
?Sabi nila malaki ang problema ko, pero sabi ko malaki nga ang problema ko, pero may Panginoon naman na napakagaling (They told me I have a big problem. But I told them I may have a problem but there?s God who?s much better),? said Pacquiao.
Boxing fans filled the church while policemen secured the place.
Radio reports said traffic was heavy along the southbound lane of Quezon Boulevard near the church as fans lined up to have a glimpse of their idol, chanting his name as he passed by.
Vehicles stood still as many motorists also stopped to catch a glimpse of Pacquiao.
Pacquiao, wearing a beige suit, arrived via PAL flight PR 103 at around 4:30 a.m. Among those who greeted him at the airport were his two sons Jimuel and Mike.
He and his party were ushered into the NAIA 2 Presidential Lounge where he gave a brief statement expressing his gratitude to all who supported him.
From the NAIA, he went to the Renaissance Hotel for breakfast and to freshen up before proceeding to Quiapo Church.
He had a hectic schedule on his first day back in the country. From Malaca?ang, he proceeded to GMA-7 studios in Quezon City as guest of the television program ?Sis!?
A huge motorcade has been scheduled for today, starting at the DENR office in Quezon City and passing through Manila, Pasay and Makati before winding up at SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City.
Pacquiao tells some inside stories
Pacquiao regaled President Arroyo with inside stories on his dramatic victory against Oscar de la Hoya, including how the latter and other sports figures apologized for underestimating him after the fight that he said he knew he would win.
He paid a courtesy call on Mrs. Arroyo at the Malaca?ang Music Room a few hours after his arrival from Los Angeles.
Mrs. Arroyo gave Pacquiao a carrot cake shaped like a boxing glove, which was baked by Palace chefs. The icing on the cake read: ?World?s No. 1 pound-for-pound boxer.?
He gave the President a replica of the World Boxing Council championship belt with his signature on it.
Pacquiao told the President that discipline and faith in God made him certain that he would win despite the overwhelming odds and analyses predicting otherwise.
?Nine weeks, for nine weeks I studied what I should do for my training and I made a lot of sacrifices and prayers,? Pacquiao told Mrs. Arroyo. ?It was like David and Goliath.?
He said he told De la Hoya after the fight, ?You?re still my idol even if I defeated you.? He said he was barely in his teens when he first watched De la Hoya win Olympic gold in Barcelona 1992.
?He?s (De la Hoya) really the most popular (boxer) in America,? Mrs. Arroyo remarked. ?Although they were saying before the fight, you?re not that (much of) an underdog.?
After the fight, Pacquiao said De la Hoya apologized, saying ?sorry Manny, we underestimated you.? It was later learned that sports channel ESPN called up Pacquiao and also apologized.
He told Mrs. Arroyo that David Diaz, whom he defeated last June and who had wagered on De la Hoya, called him up after the fight and asked him: ?What kind of human are you??
Pacquiao said despite the dire predictions against him, he knew he would win.
At the House of Representatives, lawmakers unanimously commended Pacquiao for winning the fight.
Speaker Prospero Nograles along with other House officials gave him a plaque in recognition of his feat.
The Filipino boxing icon received the plaque at the Speaker?s rostrum and even gamely posed with General Santos City Rep. Darlene Antonino-Custodio, who defeated him in the May 2007 midterm elections.
The crowd at the jampacked gallery kept shouting ?Manny, Manny, Manny!? Pacquiao also posed with reporters at the House Media Center, and downplayed reports he wanted to run again for a congressional seat.
?The unrelentless Pacquiao showed that Filipinos, armed with strong determination and the willingness to make sacrifices, can rise above any challenge,? read a portion of Resolution 268, signed by Nograles and secretary-general Marilyn Yap.
?In recognition of his achievements and in appreciation of his sacrifices to continue to inspire, bring honor to and unite the Filipino people, Pacquiao is deserving of this commendation,? the document stated further.
Peace advocates welcome Pacman appointment
The People?s Coalition for Peace (PCP), a group advocating for peace in Mindanao, urged authorities to include Pacquiao in the peace negotiations between the government and the MILF.
PCP said Pacquiao should now move to ?a new level? outside the boxing ring and broker peace to end the long-standing armed conflict in Mindanao.
?He has nothing more to prove (in boxing), he has (already) silenced his critics and those who doubted his capacity and potential as a boxer,? said Robertson de los Santos of the PCP.
The group pointed out that Pacquiao came from a poor peasant family who might have also experienced the ravages of war in Mindanao.
The group said Pacquiao?s hand in the peace negotiations might be significant.
?We believe that Pacquiao has the heart and dedication for helping achieve peace in his homeland, Mindanao. This country does not need technocrats or high-level bureaucrats in helping achieve peace. What this country needs is someone who has seen and experienced it (war), and with sincerity, a big heart, a selfless patriot,? he added. – With Katherine Adraneda, Delon Porcalla, Paolo Romero
