BAGUIO CITY, Philippines?Even psychologists are intrigued by the so-called Pacquiao phenomenon.
Filipinos worldwide rejoice every time Manny Pacquiao brings down an opponent, but can Pacquiao, who is also a politician, boost the Filipinos? sense of their national identity?
This was what Adrianne John Galang, a De La Salle University psychology professor, said he hoped to find out in a study he presented the other day at the 35th Sikolohiyang Pilipino (Philippine Psychology) conference at the University of the Philippines Baguio.
Galang said low crime rates during Pacquiao?s fights were some of the ?anecdotal evidence? that the boxing champion influenced the national behavior.
?I wanted to find real evidence of a Pacquiao effect,? Galang said.
Filipino or American?
In March, Galang gathered 18 of his students to test how strongly they saw themselves as Filipinos. The test was done for three consecutive Mondays after Pacquiao?s victory over Ghanaian Joshua Clottey on March 14.
Galang said he used the Brief Implicit Association Test (BIAT), which measures how a person associates words with concepts shaped by his or her experiences.
He required his students to sit in front of a computer monitor, where he flashed in sequence English words like ?self,? ?I,? ?me? and ?mine.?
Each time the words were flashed on the screen, Galang asked the students to describe whether each word was a Filipino or an American concept.
He theorized that the impact of Pacquiao?s fights on behavior would determine the speed by which the students responded.
Automatic response
?They responded faster and quickly associated the words ?self,? ?I,? ?me? and ?mine? with ?Filipino.? This means that the students are closer to the Filipino concept cognitively,? he said.
Galang also said the tests indicated that the students responded much faster on the Monday that preceded Pacquiao?s win, compared to the tests he conducted two weeks after the fight.
?They reacted much faster right after Pacquiao?s bout. It became automatic to them to say that they are Filipino,? Galang said.
More studies needed
The test to determine the ?Pacquiao effect? is still in its early stages, he said.
Galang said he conducted a new set of tests after Pacquiao?s win over Mexican Antonio Margarito on November 14. He said 128 subjects were tested online.
He has not released the results of the latest test.
?This is just a glimpse. There may be or there may not be [a Pacquiao effect]. It is subject to further studies,? Galang said.
A different study
In contrast to Galang?s findings, another study presented at the forum indicated that the sense of being a Filipino wanes after a tragedy has befallen the country.
Diwa Malaya Qui?ones, a UP Baguio professor, conducted this other test among 110 students two days after a dismissed policeman killed eight Hong Kong tourists during a hostage drama at Manila?s Rizal Park on August 22.
The respondents were asked how they ranked their ?being Filipino? on a scale of 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree) when faced with a statement like: ?I don?t feel good about being Filipino.?
The respondents mostly agreed with the statement ?I don?t feel good about being a Filipino,? Qui?ones said.
