MANILA, Philippines?Manny Pacquiao got a Texas-style welcome at the New World Hotel (formerly Renaissance Hotel) Saturday soon after he arrived at the airport from his conquest of Mexican boxer Antonio Margarito.
Red balloons shaped into giant letters to form the word ?Pacman? and a group of dancers performing ?Cowboy Dance? greeted Pacquiao, his wife, Jinky, their four children and the rest of his entourage outside the hotel.
A giant tarpaulin with his photo and the message ?Congratulations, 8th Wonder of the World, Cong. Manny Pacquiao,? was also displayed at the lobby.
Confetti rained and balloons fell on him as hotel guests and staff, carrying small Philippine flags, greeted him with loud applause and cheers as they dashed to greet him.
But dozens of security guards stood to cover him from the hordes of people eager to see him up close.
Before he proceeded to the hotel’s restaurant where he had a hearty breakfast with his family, Team Pacquiao and well-wishers including his close friend and patron, former Manila Mayor Lito Atienza and Solar Sports executive Wilson Tieng, he thanked his supporters who, he said, were all behind his success.
?Maraming salamat sa inyong lahat… hanggang sa susunod na laban,? he said, indicating he was not yet through with boxing.
Monique Toda, director of communications, said hotel staff prepared Pacquiao’s favorite dishes.
Toda cited the dishes including danggit, beef steak, tinolang manok, tapa and rellenong bangus.
According to her, they also made sure that the room where Pacquiao would be staying, now called the Pacquiao Suite, fitted the boxing champ’s stature.
?It’s the same room he uses every time he comes home from a fight. And we always make it a point to make him and his family feel very welcome, very comfortable, and the details we put into it are personalized,? she told the Inquirer.
The Pacquiao couple’s bathrobes, for instance, were embroidered not only with their names but also with the number ?8,? which symbolizes his unprecedented eighth title in eight weight divisions, making him the greatest Filipino boxer of all time.
And this year, Toda said they also adorned the suite with a gallery of photos taken during Pacquiao’s fights both in the boxing and political arena.
This was apart from the cup cake tower, which bore Pacquiao’s photos, flaglets and edible boxing gloves design; and the giant fruit basket that included his favorites like watermelon and cantaloupe.
Unlike in the past, organizers did not include a motorcade in the activities lined up for Pacquiao’s homecoming, said Atienza’s son, Arnold ?Ali? Atienza.
?Wala lang, basta napag-usapan lang na wala na,? he said when he was asked about it.
Pacquiao was scheduled to hold a homecoming concert and street party at the SM Mall of Asia grounds in Pasay City Saturday afternoon.
