ENVIRONMENT Secretary Mike Defensor may have not imagined it, but he had nearly landed his dear President, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, in the Guinness Book of World Records.
That wild, wild feat of the President being “on tape but not the one talking” could’ve earned Malaca?ang the tag House of Hocus Pocus.
In his very bold bid to rewrite the laws of physics, Defensor displayed the soul of a frustrated master magician with that illusion.
His efforts to peddle a lie as both true and authentic did make the one-time Spice Boy resemble an ill-equipped, untrained climber bragging readiness to scale the Everest.
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Defensor’s lardy bid to derail the growing clamor for the impeachment of the President fortunately landed flat on its face.
As a fallout, Manila Standard-Today reports, “Defensor may face obstruction of justice charges for creating confusion over the authenticity of wiretapped conversations in which Arroyo purportedly spoke to a Commission on Elections official about rigging the 2004 presidential vote.”
Truth is that, out on the local sports front, boxing devotees are more concerned about the authenticity of Manny Pacquiao’s next opponent than the tapes of the alleged presidential vote rigging.
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Yes, there’ll be no chance for Pacquiao to venture into the metaphysical, the way Defensor had, when he clashes with Mexican Hector Velazquez in Los Angeles, California, on September 10.
Actually, Pacquiao would’ve been a more believable spokesman for the top residents of Malaca?ang.
But do remember that the country’s richest and most famous athlete had himself been partly guilty of peddling false claims.
It may not solely be his fault, but Pacquiao failed to deliver the secret weapon he had bragged about in his 2004 clash with double world featherweight boxing king Juan Manuel Marquez.
Then against the great Erik Morales last March, Pacquiao also peddled in advance the so-called Manila Ice.
If there ever was one such fight weapon, the ice visibly melted in Pacquiao’s corner and froze his vaunted killer fists.
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OK, Pacquiao has obviously learned his lessons.
He has not been issuing claims on what to do or how to stop his next opponent.
He has also been training in seclusion, away from the mob of fans at the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood.
The New Manny Pacquiao indeed sounds very authentic.
This despite the doubtful pronouncement on how he would be able to hit peak form via a limited one-month US regimen, away from months of gambling and late-night splurges in Manila.
Anyway, tested boxing wisdom dictates that a month’s rush-rush regimen could result in disastrous power shortage.
Velazquez may not prove too elusive; the Mexican may, in fact, offer to stand in front and slug it out early.
But what if the longer-trained, better-winded Mexican plays it wise and chooses to stay away in the first three or four rounds (to tire down Pacquiao) before digging in?
Pray that our hero doesn’t end up like Mike Defensor who had to feed on the illusory in the moment of truth.
