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Just hours after Manny Pacquiao won the WBC super featherweight
title from Juan Manuel Marquez of Mexico, copies of their 12-round
fight were available on DVDs at P70 a pop.
By comparison, others shelled out P400 to watch
the Pacquiao-Marquez rematch via pay-per-view or at public places,
like Shoe Mart movie theaters, community gymnasiums and the Aliw
Theater in Pasay City.
And business was brisk at those places.
In Quezon Province, south of Manila, for
example, SM City Lucena had to open its cinema 3, to accommodate the
spill over from cinema 4. Tickets there ranged from P300 to P400
each.
Right after the match, traders at St. Francis
Square in Pasig City were pushing pirated DVDs labeled
“Marquez-Pacquiao II: Unfinished Business.” One trader said the
DVDs were an initial copy and only featured the main event at
Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, along with the singing of
the Philippine national anthem—but the not the other matches
Sunday.
Pacquiao, who won by split decision, was
expected to receive nearly $5 million from the pay-per-view battle,
with Marquez taking home about $1.5 million. (See related front-page
story.)
Pacquiao seems to bring the best and worst in
Filipinos. Media reports have it that rebels and government troops
held an unofficial ceasefire while the fight was on.
Make unity last
Senate Majority Leader Francis Pangilinan on
Sunday cited the “amazing” ability of Pacquiao to unite the
entire nation and expressed the hope that such unity would last more
than a day.
“More than the victories, the exciting punches
and the stunning record, what Manny has as a fighter that no one can
take away from him is his amazing ability to unite an entire
nation,” Pangilinan said after Pacquiao won.
The Armed Forces declared a unilateral ceasefire
on the day of the “Unfinished Business.” Even thieves and petty
criminals had a day off as indicated by police records, obviously to
watch the highly anticipated rematch between Pacquiao and Marquez.
“Pacquiao inspired us to overcome our
differences and come together as one nation. Now that we know that
we can unite this way, why should we limit ourselves to one boxing
match?” Pangilinan asked.
The fight was also an occasion for bonding of
Filipinos in Las Vegas who were not able to get tickets for the
fight at ritzy Mandalay Bay. Groups of friends and relatives
congregated at a chosen house where they partied while watching the
fight on pay per view.
Sen. Richard Gordon was also elated by the
victory of Pacquiao although he described it as a close shave.
“It was a wake-up call for Pacquiao. He won
with his heart. It looked like Marquez went to the fight better
prepared. If Pacquiao wants to remain a champion, he should be fit
all year round and avoid distractions,” Gordon said.
Gordon said he viewed the fight at his home,
straight from his computer via the Internet.
-- Francis Earl A. Cueto, Belly M. Ortodoz and Efren L. Danao
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