Pacquiao and Peace

It is an ironic fact that a blanket of peace covers the Philippines on only three ocassions: 1) Lenten Season, 2) Christmas Season, and 3) During a Manny Pacquiao fight!

It's true!!! Even the priest at Mass this morning was stating that half of the regular Mass attendees must have stayed home to watch the fight. It wasn't just the fact that everyone suddenly disappeared. There was less vehicular traffic in Manila's streets. But try to look into the regular watering holes and appliance stores and all the TV sets are tuned in to the Pacquiao-Clottey fight.

Public Gymnasiums were fitted with giant screens and over-crowded with jittery excited fans all eagerly awaiting the fight to come on. Politics took a back-seat but the opportunity to cash in on the hordes of pacquiao fans wasn't lost on the politicians. Their campaign resorted to slogans that said the public viewing was sponsored by a particular candidate.

All of this and for what? So we can all watch Manny Pacquiao pommel the hell out of his opponent whose best defense was to cover himself up to avoid a punch. If you ask me, Manny Pacquiao's win this time was so lopsided. Our boxing hero was able to unleash more than a thousand punches vs. Clottey while the other guy mananged only a third to Pacquiao's. It was obvious who was eventually gonna win... In fairness, Clottey did not get knocked out.

The fight bored me to death though. There were no histrionics from over-zealous fans. No blood oozing out of gaping wounds on busted eye brows. No one pugilist was floored! And all this time sponsors were trying so hard to get their ads in for maximum audience reach.

This early major networks have angled for Pacmom's reaction to her son's win...Mommy Dionisia is elated. And why shouldn't she? Would that mean an annex to her 7M mansion? A hot new sedan? Naaaahhhh... all she asks from her son is to finally hang up his boxing gloves... Where would that leave us then? Manny Pacquiao has become the National amalgam that glues all social classes and ethnic cultures together...Throw in a Manny Pacquiao fight against anyone, anywhere and all of a sudden we are all proud to be Filipino!

Now that's the best campaign strategy for getting into Congress!