Rolling with the Punches

"If only the Philippines is as united as we were during Manny Pacquiao matches."

On a Sunday afternoon, the whole Philippines was at a standstill. Malls, usually brimming with people during weekends, were almost empty. The roads were clear of vehicles, pedestrians, and commuters. Silence overwhelmed the streets, and only occasional outbursts of screeches and squeals were to be heard. If one didn't know any better, it was as if everyone disappeared and the Rapture has begun. But since you are still there reading this journal and things are as peachy as it could be, certainly that wasn't the case.
Everyone was just at home glued to their television sets, watching the anticipatied boxing match between hometown hero Manny "Pacman" Pacquaio and Mexico's Oscar "Chololo" Larios at the Araneta Coliseum.
I remember back in 2002 when I watched my first boxing match at Amas Capitol Gym in Kidapawan. I am not really a fan of boxing; I prefer WWE wrestling actually. There wasn't much venue for creativity in boxing, only hands could be used during the match while in wrestling, the sky is the limit to where your imagination can take you to win the match one could even improvise with nearly equipments. I initially thought of boxing as boring. But my cousin had free tickets with good seats so I was thinking, "Why not?"
The gym was packed. Manny Pacquiao was not even nationally known back then, but he already had a large crowd of supporters. Everyone came to see him win as he constantly did. I don't really know much about boxing except that you have to knock your opponent out, but as it turned out, I enjoyed the event we watched. His boxing style has greatly improved now compared to then. Instead of merely using brute force and his trademark left hook, he is now psyching out his opponents. He wasn't as good as he is right now but he still gave the crowd one helluva fight. I never imagined that I would be typing about it now but even then, it was evident that this guy was destined for greater things.
Nothing unites the whole Philippines better than a Manny Pacquiao fight. For one whole day, Filipinos from all walks of life set aside their differences and cheer for the People's Champ. More often than not, Pacquiao delivers what is expected of him. With yet another victory for Pacquiao, Filipinos worldwide feel an enormous sense of pride and patriotism as he dedicated this fight for his fellow countrymen. With the tremendous pride and honor he has brought to our country, Manny Pacquiao's status has gone from boxing legend to National icon. This would probably result to even more songs, another string of commercial endorsements, TV shows and more movies about or with Manny. It would be impossible not to see him within a span of a day, when every billboard, every commercial has him on it. This could get painfully annoying at some point but what the heck.
Aside from the Filipino's blatant love for sports like boxing, Pacquiao's triumph resonates on a deeper level. This goes way beyond a boxing championship or anything superficial. It symbolizes the Philippines and its potential for greater things. Being a Third World country, the Philippines is often the underdog but it shows that Filipinos could compete with the best foreign countries has to offer and win. Through Manny Pacquiao, we have at the least ephemerally conquered the colonial mentality that has been dominating our culture.
If only the Philippines is as united as we were during Manny Pacquiao's matches. Probably we would be in a better condition than the one that we are in right now. During the day of the fight, the political wars were put on hold and it was reported to have zero crime rate. Even crooks and lawbreakers were cooperative enough to take a day off their evil ways just to watch the match. Pacquiao shows us what could happen if we set our differences even for just one day. For the whole day the country behaved in the way that it should have been all these times.
Do we really need Manny Pacquiao to compete everyday for us to figure these things out? It's sad how we can only achieve the sense of concord and pride that should have been innate in the first place through boxing matches and sporting events. It should have been deeper and more profound than that, lasting longer than merely a season or so. Perhaps its things like these that could be the starting point for us. At least it is the first step at the right direction. This kind of nationalism may grow into something that can make us great once more. Even things like these have to start somewhere. I hope this is it.