|
Boxing icon Manny “PacMan” Pacquiao has been chosen to carry the
Philippine flag at the opening parade of next month’s Beijing
Olympics, despite being a professional athlete and unable to fight
in the 2008 Games.
President Gloria Arroyo announced on Friday that
she was designating the fighter, who won a fourth world title in a
fourth weight class last month, as “special envoy to the Beijing
Olympics,” Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita told reporters
Friday.
Pacquiao’s designation as flag-bearer seemed
to have been well received by Mark Joseph, the president of the
Philippine Amateur Swimming Association.
Earlier, the association recommended to the
Philippine Olympic Committee that swimmer Miguel Molina be made to
carry the Philippine flag in Beijing. Its suggestion was accepted.
“Molina and the swimming family are proud of
Miguel’s initial selection as flag-bearer. It’s a compliment to
Miguel that the person [Pacquiao] selected to replace him is someone
as patriotic as Miguel because both of them are high-performance
athletes that inspire Filipinos all over the world,” Joseph said
in a text message to The Manila Times.
Molina, educated in the United States and who
trains there, was selected partly in recognition of his winning four
gold medals in the 2007 Southeast Asian Games in Thailand. His feat
earned him the Games’ Most Valuable Player award.
He and four other Filipino swimmers have
qualified outright for the Beijing Olympics, or without having to
book a berth through so-called qualifiers or to be given “wild
cards.”
Joey Romasanta, the spokesman for the Philippine
Olympic Committee, told The Times, also in a text message, that Jose
“Peping” Cojuangco Jr., the group’s chairman, will hold a
meeting on July 9 to “discuss” Pacquiao’s designation as
flag-bearer.
Best fighter
The 29-year-old Pacquiao, widely considered as
the best “pound-for- pound” boxer in the world, destroyed David
Diaz of the United States in nine rounds to take the World Boxing
Council lightweight title in Las Vegas on June 29.
His designation as flag-bearer was announced by
President Arroyo during his courtesy call to Malacañang shortly
after he arrived in the country.
Upon arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International
Airport, Pacquiao led a motorcade to Quiapo Church in Manila to hear
Mass. He was cheered all the way by his legions of fans. Traffic was
snarled as the vehicles neared the church around 9:30 a.m.
Snatchers had a field day, robbing television
cameramen covering the event of their mobile phones.
Pacman gives back
During a press conference later on Friday held
after another courtesy call to the Department of Environment and
Natural Resources, Pacquiao said he and his wife Jinkee have agreed
to donate P3 million from his prize money from the clash with Diaz
to victims of Typhoon Frank and another P100,000 for the
rehabilitation of coral reefs in the country. Reports said he earned
at least $3 million from the Las Vegas fight.
The boxing superstar said that before he went to
United States on May 12, he and Interior Undersecretary Lito Ruiz
had visited an island popular with divers and saw there apparent
destruction of coral reefs.
According to Environment Secretary Lito Atienza,
only 5 percent of the coral reefs in the country are in good
condition. He had welcomed Pacquiao at Quiapo Church.
During his two previous visits to the
Environment department, Pacquiao also announced his support for the
conservation of the Philippine Eagle and the Philippine tarsier. He
also donated P100,000 each for the protection of the two endangered
species.
Pacquiao has formed Inaiyahan, a task force that
will help the government monitor and prosecute violators of
environmental laws.
During the press conference, he also told
reporters about his battle against illegal loggers in General Santos
City in South Cotabato, his home province. Pacquiao said he and
other campaigners had seized “hot” logs and turned over illegal
loggers to the regional office of the Environment department.
-- Angelo S. Samonte, Krista Angela Montealegre, Ira Karen Apanay
and Ruben D. Manahan 4th
|
