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THE Philippines rejoiced Sunday at the victory of
boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao over his Mexican opponent in Texas,
with even political rivals promising him a “hero’s welcome”
upon his return.
The fight was aired live on giant
television screens in various parts of the country, including the
southern city of General Santos where Pacquiao is using his boxing
fame to run for a congressional seat.
President Arroyo congratulated
the hugely popular boxer for his victory over previously unbeaten
Jorge Solis, saying, “The fighting faith of Manny Pacquiao is the
fighting faith of the Filipino.”
She said his victories in world
competition should be matched by the country’s victory over
“poverty and injustice.”
Arroyo’s husband, Jose Miguel
Arroyo, who is still recovering from major heart surgery on Tuesday,
was not allowed to watch the fight as it might make him too
emotional. His doctors said they would inform him of the outcome
later.
In General Santos City,
Congresswoman Darlene Antonino-Custodio, her family and party
members were on hand to watch the fight at the city gymnasium with
5,000 people, even though Pacquiao is running against her in the May
14 elections.
Asked what effect his victory in
the ring would have on the coming polls, Custodio said, “It’s up
to the people but as far as the [political leaders] in the city,
they will still give him a hero’s welcome.”
Custodio could be seen cheering
with the rest of the crowd when Pacquiao, affectionately known here
as the PacMan, weathered a head butt in the sixth round to win a
knockout in the eighth round.
Her political party had
previously filed a court petition for the fight not to be aired in
General Santos, saying this would constitute unfair political
advertising, but they withdrew their petition in the face of
widespread public anger.
Television footage of the fight
showed Filipinos at the Texas stadium, cheering a triumphant
Pacquiao with the chant “congressman.”
In Manila, about 3,000 spectators
in a public stadium cheered and punched their fists in the air as
they watched the fight on a giant screen.
“I was so overjoyed, I
couldn’t even imagine this,” said taxi driver Joel Cawan, 28,
who is also from General Santos.
“I follow all of his fights. I
am just so happy to see his fights. I stop driving every time he
fights,” even if it means losing fares, he said.
However when asked if he would
vote for Pacquiao in the coming elections, Cawan smirked and said,
“I will not vote for him.
“Pacquiao is good in helping
others, in helping the less fortunate, [but] politics is a dirty
game. He may lose his credibility if he becomes a politician,” he
said.
In a post-fight interview aired
over local television, Pacquiao refused to capitalize on his latest
victory, saying “I am uniting our Filipinos in this hour. I do not
want to talk about politics. But I showed that I can manage these
two different things.”
 --AFP
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