Over the past weekend, it has become a buzz among Pinoys how the ?KO punch? was delivered by Congressman Manny Pacquiao at the Congress. At the heels of raging debate regarding the sledging of former president (now congresswoman-elect) Gloria Arroyo by her fellow lawmakers, Dato Arroyo delivered an emotional speech in defense of his beleaguered mom. What ensued was caught on national television until after Honorable Pacquiao stepped up to speak his mind regarding the issue. For him it sounded like a non-issue and all he wanted was for the lawmakers to unite and look forward. The gallery applauded, sensing Pacquiao straightforward, no-nonsense approach.
Pacquiao has made strides this early in his political career. When he beat the invincible Chiongbians in May 2010 election by 3 to 1 margin, it was considered a feat akin to Pacquiao outhustling Floyd Mayweather. You see both Chiongbian and Mayweather possess nil-loss record. Pacquiao?s conquest of Chiongbian may as well be the prefiguration of Mayweather?s defeat at the hands of Pacquiao once they cross paths. One can wonder whether politics is a close relative of boxing.
My guess is, it is.
Bob Arum is the link. The promoter is a kingmaker. He not only believes that Pacquiao has surpassed Muhammad Ali in terms of achievement but is also convinced that Pacquiao will one day become president. He seemed very confident, his prediction bordering on certainty not faith. Must be the promoter in him, though. Arum is a promoter who cracks jokes speared against the likes of former President Bush and blamed him for a lot of US debacles. Which is why it makes him credible enough to see the future for a small country like Philippines heading towards a Pacquiao vote. Pacquiao, in returning the favor, does not disappoint so far. He knows his country like the palm of his hand. He knows that we like soap opera and our idea of Hollywood and Oscar Awards are still stuck under ?Shake, Rattle and Roll? films, however hideous though they may be. Him joining the fray means filming ?Wapakman? several moons ago and led to the Krista Ranillo issue. But beyond the funny Filipino sensitivity, he understands our real needs. Upon his ascent to the Congress, Pacquiao promised education and social service as his main projects.
Just maybe, someday a university will rise in Saranggani. That will probably make the people of General Santos scratched their heads and punched their eyeballs for voting against him and into the charms of Darlene Custodio. She did not do bad either but nothing spectacular has been reported under her tenure.
And then there?s the main topic and endemic in Philippine politics: corruption. It was by the same token that PNoy anchored his campaign, ?Kung walang corrupt, walang mahirap!? and won handily against the presidentiables in the same May 2010 election. It was not just the Cory magic. Noynoy Aquino is his own man and so far he has etched his own political touch, growing each day and plumbing the hearts of every Pinoy hopeful. Him checking the esteros of Pasig and despising the use of ?wangwangs? ? we as Filipinos can relate to that. He grew in the family of privileges but instead chose to donate his first salary to charity. What a man! No wonder Congressman Pacquiao never batted an eyelash when he decided to meet him, joined his party and supported his presidency. So far the political dance is productive and it can grow better. Because a better Philippines require not just one man but a generation of honest men, in the same token that it was plundered by a generation of corrupt politicians headed by the former dictator President Marcos. The ?zeitgeist? is captured in a new generation of politicians like Pacquiao; or political descendants whose families were bloodstained but nevertheless tried to heed Pacquiao?s call to move on for a better tomorrow. These are the silent majority getting bolder each day.
What Manny has done in the ring can well and truly be transported in politics. He can never be corrupt by the fact that he earned his millions not from the taxes of every Pinoy worker, every domestic helper and nurse working abroad or every remittance sent to families back home. He is what he is by virtue of the man that he continually chooses to be and has become.
There?s more to Manny Pacquiao than meets the eye. It is our faith in him, our own King David; it is his faith in his God despite ? at times ? failing the universal moral demands. By this token, the presidential ambition is not a must. Becoming a president is already a reality when good people like him stand up without fear or compunction. As Martin Luther King Jr. said ?Human salvation lies in the hands of the creatively maladjusted.?
It is a history unfolding, worth of a closer scrutiny.
