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Is Pacman a hero of the Philippines?
Reprinted fromNewsvine
(
Sun May 3, 2009 9:12 AM HKT 
)Emmanuel DapidranPacquiao, akaManny "Pacman" Pacquiao. Thelegendary Filipino boxing championcurrently rated as the No. 1 pound-for-pound boxer in the whole world, so saysthe Ring Magazine. Already anundisputed world boxing great whoholds the record of being the first Asianboxer to hold four world titles in fourdifferent boxing weight divisions. Hemay not be handsome, but heultimately demolished every Mexicanboxing superstar--the good-lookingMarco Antonio Barrera;  Juan Manuel Marquez;Erik Morales;Oscar Larios;  Jorge Solis. Pacquiao even brought down the iconic and Olympic goldmedalist Mexican-AmericanOscar De La Hoya. Today, he goes up againstBritishRicky Hatton, holder of theIBCand
Ring Magazine
Light Welterweighttitles.Standing at 5 feet 6.5 inches,Pacquiaohailsfrom Bukidnon province in the southernPhilippine island of Mindanao. His boxingexploits have made him not only popularand rich, but also earned him a level of admiration so great that some even of hiscountrymen/countrywomen regard him as a modern-day Filipino hero. Duringhis preparation for the WBC lightweight title bout versus David Diaz,
 AsianWeek,
"The Voice of Asian America" publication, called him a
"Philippine hero [aiming] to become [the] first Asian to win titles in four weight classes."
DoesPacmandeserve to be honored along with the rest of the pantheon of heroes such asAndres Bonifacio, Jose Rizal, Emilio Jacinto,Apolinario Mabini, Antonio Luna and the likes? IsPacquiaopatriot material, or just an iconic boxing figure with an eye on patronage politics?
 
Pacquiao's matches sure draw the arena and broadcast crowd as he alsorakes in millions of dollars in earnings, which grow with every bacon heclinches. A regular group to his matches are no less than scores of Philippinecongressmen who fly en masse thousands of miles just to watchPacmaninaction live. With the multi-million US dollar earnings of the boxing legend, aportion goes to the Filipino people. Good. Good? Nope, far from it, becausewhat the Filipino masses lose is far greater thanPacquiao's taxes thatsupposedly go to government service for them.With his every bout a junket of 20,50 or so congressmen, along withother favored officials of the GloriaArroyo government, cross the highseas to watchPacquiaofight inperson. The Filipino thereby losesindirectly by way of absenteelegislations, and directly by themillions of dollars they foot for the junket. In practically every majorfight of Pacquiaounder the Arroyoadministration, the FirstGentleman and/or scores of congressmen travel first class, stay in the best hotel suites and show up tocheer their idol and political friendPacquiao. All at the government'sexpense--despite claims to contrary. In June 2008, even while TyphoonFengshen was ravaging the southern portion of thePhilippines, 59congressmen hitched a junket during Arroyo's Obama stalking in the UnitedStates, to watchPacmanin the works live. Something similar happens todayfor the Pacquiao-Hatton fight.But is it his fault that the corruptminions of the Arroyo administrationmilk thePhilippines dry till-the-next- international-loan just to watch hisfights that have been a source of thecountry's national pride? Of course not,IF onlyPacquiaohas not been an ardentsupporter of whom
The Windsor Star 
described as
"political dominatrix Gloria Magapagal Arroyo, who seized power in a 2001 palace coup,"
and whois regarded by majority of the Filipino as the "Most Corrupt President inPhilippine History."ButPacquiaois Arroyo's avid supporter willing to let his popularity by used asher desperate PR tool. The relationship betweenPacquiaoand the
 
notoriously corrupt administration of Arroyo is perhaps best seen in thefollowing editorial from
The Daily Tribune
:
Gloria Arroyo has been hanging onto the tails of Pacquiao's fame for allits worth in her wishful thought that some of Pacquiao's star quality that is coupled with a huge popularity among boxing fans in thecountry--and they are legion--would rub on to her.So popular was he and a hero in his hometown that Gloria, desperatefor her endorsed victory to prove that hers was not a kiss of death,tapped Pacquiao, who was persuaded by her to run for Congress in the2004 elections in his home province, South Cotabato, but was soundly beaten by a tiny slip of a feisty girl, Darlene Antonino-Custodio (“Fight of the Century.”)
Pacquiaomust know about Arroyo's illegitimacy and corruption. Every soul inthePhilippine Islands does (although, of course, her supporters-cum- beneficiaries of this government would not admit to it). Everyone knowsabout thepower grabfrom the sittingPresident Joseph Estradaback in 2001, and the "Hello Garci" expose of the cheating during the 2004 presidentialelections. And who does not know about her never-ending litany of corruption, the latest of which is theWorld Bank project rigging scandalthatinvolves her very own husband, "First Gentleman" Mike Arroyo? The boxinggreat should particularly know Arroyo's brand of politics because he ranunder her party as a congressional bet.Awareness of Arroyo's evil, however, doesnot stop the 'modern hero' from helping inthe continuing megalomaniacal rape of theFilipino people by a fake President eager andadept at turning everyManny Pacquiao victory into an opportunity to helpperpetuate herself in power. At the height of theNBN ZTE broadband deal,following Pacman's triumph against Marquez for theWorld Boxing Council superfeatherweighttitle, Arroyo promptly exploited the nationalvictory to placate the public outraged by thesheer value of alleged kickbacks involved inthe anomalous deal. In a statement, Arroyo calledPacman"truly one of our nation's heroes who can unite us even in times of divisiveness. An icon of themasses, Manny Pacquiao mirrors the champ within every Filipino, here andabroad."
A hero?
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