It’s hard to imagine Manny Pacquiao anywhere else other than inside the ring, fiercely slugging it out with an opponent ‘mano a mano,’ as his recent fight with Mexican Oscar Larios was dubbed. To Filipinos, Manny is “idol,” the champ whose rags to riches story is spawning hopes in the heart of young boxing hopefuls that they, too, can become a Pacquiao.
Beneath that fiery fight image, however, is a man who is reticent and reserved, to the point that his quiet demeanor is mistaken for aloofness and taken as a sign of an ego that’s become bloated.
“I’m a simple person, just like other people, who likes having friends. In fact, I have more friends who are poor than rich. I grew up with a lot of cousins and relatives, and I’m close to them just like I am close to my parents,” Manny says in the vernacular.
What most people don’t know is that when he’s away from the ring, Manny is just like every dad, happy and content to play with his kids, shooting some hoops, playing computer games or just bonding with the boys through a healthy, rowdy round of wrestling. And when Manny and the boys become a bit noisy, it’s Jinky, Manny’s wife, who plays the ref and tells her boys to calm down and stop the racket.
“Yes, I let them know when they’re getting to be noisy and unruly,” Jinky smiles. “When he doesn’t have a fight, we just stay at home. On weekends he has a lot of appointments and he also has to train and work out, but usually on Sundays we stay together, and we go to church together,” the boxing idol’s better half reveals.
“Manny is such a nice and simple person,” Jake Joson, the boxing champ’s chief of staff and business partner, asserts. “He’s very accommodating, even when he’s sick or not feeling well, he still obliges people who ask him to have their photos taken with their idol,” Jake discloses.
“It’s also hard because people regard Manny as a national property. They think of him as a hero and so they expect him to win every time he has a fight. But he welcomes the pressure because whenever he fights and every time he lands a blow on the opponent, he knows that he is making his fellow Filipinos, whether here or abroad, proud and happy,” Jake adds.
There’s a little pressure every time but I like the pressure,” says the man who has been given the moniker “Pacman.” While Manny may have had the hometown advantage in his fight with Larios, it’s not for nothing that the southpaw has been dubbed “The Destroyer” because of his killer punch.
Indeed, Manny’s fight with Erik “El Terrible” Morales in January will probably go down in history not only because it reportedly saw an unprecedented 95-percent TV viewership rating, but more importantly, because it united Filipinos of all classes and persuasions, religious and political affiliations. Male or female, rich or poor, young or old, opposition or administration politician, rebel or soldier Filipinos here and abroad were glued to their TV screens cheering Manny on, and rejoicing in his victory afterward. Manny’s victory had become every Filipino’s own.
“It’s probably that ‘everyman’ attribute that makes Manny such a credible product endorser especially for a trusted and respected institution like San Miguel Corp.,” explains Jake, adding that the champ’s advertisements for SMC products like San Miguel Pale Pilsen, Magnolia Milk Ice Cream and Ginebra San Miguel Red have become such hits with the public. Indeed, the products show Manny in a different light, whether he’s having a fun time with kids consuming ice cream and milk or unwinding with the guys (and gals) in the San Miguel Pale Pilsen commercial.
“San Miguel has been helping me a lot, even with my training, because they provide accommodations for me and my staff in their Baguio property when I train there,” admits Manny, who was recently conferred the rank of sergeant in the reserve forces of the Philippine Army.
Indeed, Manny will continue to be a hero in the eyes of the people, not only because he has done the country proud with his prowess in the ring, but most of all, because of his innate goodness and in his genuine desire see Filipinos united during politically turbulent times.
“When kids chase me and come up to me to shake my hand, that already makes me so happy. I don’t think of myself as famous. In my heart, I am still just an ordinary man. All I want is to make our countrymen happy whenever I fight in the ring, and to see us all united. Sana wala ng gulo [I wish there is no more trouble],” the ‘Champion for Life’ concludes.
