They used to celebrate victory from separate ends of the stadium.
The luminous winner would erupt ecstatic atop the ring while fans stayed on the floor from where they cheered their champion.
The epic conduct of the last national polls changed that.
Manny Pacquiao and the Filipino voter now stand on the same victory podium.
They have been triumphantly conjoined.
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It?s like this: Pacquiao used to do all the fighting for his people.
He would kill himself in training to enhance victory before waging a heroic battle in the boxing ring.
Last Monday, it was the turn of the intrepid Pinoy voter to do the fighting.
The gallant Filipino fought every inch of the way to cast his ballot.
Result: A historic win for both Pacquiao and his fans.
Pacquiao bagged a seat in Congress.
The Pinoy voter scored a classic win with the success of the automated polls.
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Ovation continued to pour for the Filipino voter yesterday.
Mabuhay ang Bayan ni Juan?Long live Juan de la Cruz!
That was from Mar Maralit, battle-scarred street statesman, who never failed to rally his allies in Batangas whenever their rights are trampled.
There were also salutes and acknowledgements from abroad a couple of days after the success of the first national automated polls in the country.
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It may not be as earth-shaking, not as inspiring as the Edsa People Power revolt, but the latest display of Filipino grit and gallantry that helped push the automated polls to a credible conclusion has rekindled the hopes of an often-cheated people.
Comelec officials have been overheard congratulating themselves.
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, on the other hand, had been quoted as saying the successful automated polls was her gift to the Filipino people.
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Indeed, victory, as they say, has many fathers.
But the thing that continues to inspire delight here was the people?s singular intent that visibly defeated shameless tries to wreck the vote enroute to a failure of elections.
By noontime Monday, the situation was turning into a mismatch in favor of hidden detractors who had succeeded in clogging voting lines in practically all precincts all over the country.
No way. The Filipino voter, underestimated, refused to budge.
He agreed to suffer and roast under the sun in order to fulfill his duty for country.
* * *
If they had belittled the Filipino voter, this must?ve been the same case with Manny Pacquiao.
?Everybody was saying Manny can?t win and his opponent would win by a landslide in Sarangani,? said international matchmaker cum laude Bob Arum. ?It was indeed a landslide?for Manny!?
Arum said this was the same reason he had earlier likened Pacquiao?s congressional bid to the De la Hoya fight.
?They were all saying it would be a mismatch and that Oscar would kill Manny,? Arum explained. ?It was indeed a mismatch?the other way around.?
