MANILA, Philippines — ?The best is yet to come.?
This is one line that rung loudly to the people of Sarangani as they listened attentively to the inaugural address of their new representative, Congressman Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao.
For so many years, he has been their boxing hero, the only 7-division world champion in the sport, someone they looked up to as a source of inspiration, someone they were very proud to say is one of them.
Today, as their congressman, the people of Sarangani look to the Pacman as more than a boxing hero. They look to him to help better their lives.
?I will be your voice,? said Pacquiao. ?Sarangani will score a knockout for the world to see.?
Pacquiao, dressed in an elegant barong with his wife Jinkee by his side, beamed with joy as he addressed his constituents during his inaugural speech last week.
Having seen Manny in various occasions, including many boxing victories, I could tell that this victory as congressman was one of the sweetest ones, something he was very, very proud of. His smile showed it all.
?I can?t express how happy I am today,? Pacquiao told me in an interview just a few minutes after he made his very first speech as congressman.
Wife Jinkee echoed the same. ?I?m very happy for him because this has been a long time dream of Manny. And I will be supporting him in every way I can to help him achieve his dream of serving his people.?
Knowing the Pacman, you can bet he will work very hard to make his campaign promises come true for the people of Sarangani.
One top of that list is finding the funds to build a hospital which has been a long time need.
Scuba diving site
Another goal of Manny is to make Sarangani known all over the world as a haven for scuba diving.
A few times before, the Pacman had invited me and my group to experience diving in Sarangani. He bragged about how rich their underwater marine life is.
Our dive never materialized due to hectic schedules. On the day after he was sworn into office, we finally joined Manny on a dive trip.
We were about 4 cars in the convoy following his black Hummer to a dive destination about 25 minutes from General Santos City.
Honestly, I?ve been to Gensan quite a number of times but never really new a dive site was close by. I brought my Sports Unlimited team with me with my partner Marc Nelson to join Manny and his group for the dive.
South Point Divers
It was a pleasant drive, lots of greenery along the way. We arrived at a resort called South Point Divers. We were met by dive master Paul and his group. Greetings exchanged, followed by a short instructional. Our dive plan was to follow the wall ? their house reef just down the steps from the resort.
Manny said he picked up diving a few years ago and has gone down a total of about 10 times. He had his wetsuit, fins, mask. We geared up. South Point had our BC (buoyancy compensators) and regulators all ready with the tanks. We had 4 dive masters going with us.
Ours was quite a big group ? Manny, myself, Marc, executive assistant Bren Evangelio, friend Miles and a few others. We were about a dozen going on this rare dive trip.
Everyone was cheerful, cameras were clicking away before we walked down the steps with full gear on to the ocean. It is not too often that you can do a shore entry to diving. It usually requires a boat trip to a dive spot a few or many minutes away.
As soon as everybody was in the water upon the signal of the dive master, we dipped our heads, let out air and sank to the blue waters of Saranggani.
The visibility was alright. Considering it was a cloudy day it was quite clear. Manny was in the head of the group, and he finned quite rapidly eager to see what the ocean had to offer us.
Sarangani marine life
There were lots of colorful fish–small ones, medium-sized ones, and bigger ones. The reef was very much alive, teeming with life. As we followed the wall, we stopped at some coral, big and small ones, unique shapes.
When you get all geared up with dive equipment up in the ground, it seems heavy, bothersome to some extent. You have to get so many things together. But when you get down under water, it is like you enter a whole new world. A world that immediately makes you feel light and happy. The colors and life that surround you have a way of making you smile, a unique treat. Often underwater, we would turn towards each other. Manny would give the OK sign.
Just like in everything, he was aggressive, confident and strong, not showing any signs of a novice diver.
Initially, dive masters told us we may experience some currents, but nope, it was calm, clear and yes, very beautiful.
Time quickly passes by when you are diving and enjoying such gorgeous scenery.
We didn?t realize we had followed the wall almost 1 kilometer out. Manny Pacquiao chats with with fellow scuba divers.
Manny: ‘It was beautiful’
Bonus for us ? swimming a few feet from the group was a giant turtle. A few minutes later, a giant lapu-lapu and a black and white stripe sea snake.
Forty minutes into the dive and we were given the signal to ascend. One by one, we came up to a banca that was waiting for us.
One of my favorite parts of the dive is coming up to the surface. It is totally envigorating. We had the mountains in the background and rock formations all around us.
The group hung out floating by the banca, sharing stories of what we saw and what we liked best. Every dive is different, and every dive gives each one a unique story to tell.
The ?kwentuhan? continued as we got onto the boat.
?I told you it was beautiful,? Manny proudly said as we motored back to the resort.
We agree. With our spirits refreshed, bodies rejuvenated, and with hearts thanking God for a safe and pleasant dive, we promised ourselves we would do this again.
