CANDIJAY, Bohol–It took sensational Rey “Boom Boom” Bautista three rounds to stop his Colombian foe in California on Sunday, but he wasted no time Thursday to assure swarming Boholanos he did not migrate to Cebu and has remained their very own.
Bautista, who sparked the three-tiered knockout celebration by Filipino boxers in the United States last weekend, made the assurance upon touching down in Tagbilaran, en route to this sleepy municipality where he was born to poor farmer parents 19 years ago.
Candijay Mayor Sergio Amora Jr. led students and local residents in welcoming their newly minted hero, as he made his way to the town’s poblacion and into the municipal building lawn where a program awaited him.
“This is the biggest welcome we have prepared so far for a local resident in this town’s history,” said municipal health officer Acindino Tan in an interview with Cebu Daily News. “Everybody has been talking about this.”
Bautista’s scheduled two-hour trip to his hometown, some 93 km east of Tagbilaran, stretched to three hours as his convoy had to make stopovers in Guindulman and Jagna to allow fans to shake hands and kiss him.
“This trip is very special to us Boholanos because our son is coming home from a big victory,” said Abap’s Nemesio Monton, who organized the trip starting from Tagbilaran. Monton, along with his fellow Boholanos, was ecstatic to hear Bautista promptly make a clarification at the Tagbilaran City Hall. Bautista announced that he will be a Boholano forever, saying, “Dili man jud ko Cebuano oy, Boholano man jud tawon ko makita man sa ako panit,” thereby soothing negative sentiments caused by the statement of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo who said during a congratulatory call to California that Bautista was from Cebu.
After a short program for the young boxing star, onlookers, including high school students, took turns in having their photos taken with the charismatic Asia-Pacific bantamweight champ who stopped Colombia’s Felix Flores Murillo in three rounds to usher in Brian Viloria and Manny Pacquiao into the RP knockout parade.
Earlier on Thursday, Bautista and his manager Tony Aldeguer were given a rousing welcome at the Tagbilaran port, where a drum-and-bugle corps played beats for the champ.
