MANILA, Philippines ? There?s no stopping ?people?s champ? Manny Pacquiao from returning to the country today ? not bad weather or pleas from officials worried about his being a potential carrier of the deadly A(H1N1) influenza virus.
The boxing legend also shrugged off the prospect of being quarantined if he shows symptoms of the disease, which has claimed lives in Mexico and the United States.
Pacquiao?s ?adopted father,? Environment Secretary Lito Atienza, said the boxing icon and his entourage boarded a plane bound for Manila at 10 p.m. Wednesday (yesterday morning in Manila). Philippine Airlines flight PR 103 from Los Angeles is expected to arrive at 5:30 a.m. today at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2.
?No one can stop Manny from returning home because that is his right,? Atienza said.
Atienza said Pacquiao might even push through with his plan to hear Mass at Quiapo church, possibly after breakfast and a brief rest at a hotel in Makati City.
Atienza stressed Pacquiao and his entourage are willing to go through the screening procedure at the airport ? including thermal scanning ? to determine if he or any of his companions has fever, which is one of the symptoms of the A(H1N1) flu.
He added Pacquiao fans would have to wait for the weather to clear up before they get a chance to see and greet the world?s pound-for-pound king. Typhoon ?Emong? is expected to bring heavy rains in Metro Manila today and over the weekend.
Motorcades organized by Atienza when he was still Manila mayor highlighted Pacquiao?s victory homecoming in the past.
In interviews with local television and radio networks, Pacquiao said he and others in his entourage who were in Los Angeles, do not have any flu symptoms that could justify their quarantine.
?If you are healthy, why should you be quarantined?? he told dzBB radio.
?He wanted to come home and see his kids. He?s been here in the US for more than two months now. Like any father, he wants to see his children now and no one can stop him,? said a Pacquiao insider.
Not even a call from Metro Manila Development Authority chairman Bayani Fernando could make Pacquiao change his mind. Fernando reportedly asked Pacquiao to delay his return trip by five days.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III urged Pacquiao on Wednesday to postpone his homecoming because the virus was found to have spread to Los Angeles.
Health Undersecretary Mario Villaverde urged Pacquiao to observe ?social distancing.?
The World Health Organization advised Pacquiao and his group to observe self-quarantine for the same length of time after their return, and airport welcomers should maintain a one-meter distance from the boxing champ and his party, avoiding handshakes and hugs.
The Philippines has no confirmed case of the A(H1N1) flu, as three of five patients under observation have been cleared, Duque said.
A ?national day of celebration? for Pacquiao?s latest triumph has been postponed for next week and a meeting between President Arroyo and Pacquiao originally set today has been moved to Monday, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said.
Deputy Presidential spokesman Anthony Golez said Pacquiao and his group should heed WHO?s advice.
?We have no more issues on Pacquiao?s return. We?re no longer stopping him. But what?s important is he and the rest self-quarantine for five days in his house or hotel,? Golez said.
?It?s going to be a nightmare for the country if someone from his team exhibits signs and symptoms of the A(H1N1) virus,? he said. ?We?re lucky up to now we don?t have the virus,? he added.
