The Pacman Phenomenon

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We all know what happened. With a devastating left hook in the 10th round of their rematch “Battle”, our very own Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao knocked-out the legendary Mexican fighter Erik “El Terrible” Morales, who had never been knocked-out before. The victory restored national pride in a country battling economic and political instability.

This is one of the many articles I’ve read about Manny Pacquiao, whom the great Muhammad Ali once called “Little Ali”, this past week. It was written by Tom Thompson of Tigerboxing.com and I’d like to share some bits of it.

"…Who compares to Manny Pacquiao and his relationship with the Filipino people?

Here in America, you could combine Lance Armstrong, Peyton Manning, LeBron James, Tom Cruise, Bruce Springsteen and 50 Cent into one person and you still wouldn't have what the Philippines have in their number one all-time super-star Manny Pacquiao.

He's that important to his people.

His nation stood still- literally- for "The Battle." Politicians, clergy, elites, commoners and criminals alike took a long pause to witness their idol face down the man who had defeated him less than a year ago. They traveled to Vegas in the thousands and the millions who stayed home watched it on television or listened to it on the radio. Manny is their Super Bowl, World Series, Final Four and World Cup. He's that big- all 130 lbs of him.

Consider some of the press reports coming out of his country…

It was predicted that the crime rate would fall dramatically in the hours leading up to the fight, during and after as everyone would be glued to their televisions.

In the week leading up to the bout, there was some concern by high-ranking government officials that terrorists in the nation may take advantage of the fact that everyone in the country would be totally distracted by what was going on in Las Vegas.

Clergy and politicians called for a national day of prayer for their idol as he faced Erik the Great.

To call this an event for all of the Philippines seems like an understatement.

After his superb victory, while being interviewed by HBO's Larry Merchant, Pacquiao thanked his compatriots and his president for their love and support. As he spoke, there was no doubt that the entire nation and President Arroyo were watching, listening and celebrating.

As an American, I find myself somewhat envious of what the people of the Philippines have. We have nothing close to what they share with Manny Pacquiao.

Not long ago we had our Michael Jordan. Millions of Americans wanted to be like Mike. Then again, millions of Americans couldn't have cared less. It didn't come close to what Manny means to the Philippines.

Twenty-five years ago a man named Sugar Ray Leonard transcended the sport and became a larger celebrity, but I'm not sure I can accurately call him a "national hero."

No, we've never had a Manny Pacquiao of our own.

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Congratulations to the people of the Philippines. You love and worship Manny Pacquiao and he didn't let you down. You stood by him last year even after his disappointing loss to Erik Morales because you are true fans. We can all learn a lesson from you.

…

Enjoy your historic win, Manny. You deserve it."

Reading that article gave me goose-bumps. It’s been a few days since Manny’s “historic win” and the euphoria hasn’t died down even one bit. Pictures of Pacman are all over magazines and newspapers. Try channel-surfing on TV and I’m quite sure you’d see Manny either in a commercial or in the news. In fact, while watching TV Patrol, there were at least 5 Pacquiao-related news stories in last night’s edition. And that was already a couple of days after the victory. It is the hottest topic in Pinoy forums online. Filipinos praise and idolize him. As a matter of fact, one fanatic made a life-sized sculpture of Manny Pacquiao complete with a boxing belt. On a sadder note though, 2 elderly fans watching the fight died of heart attack. Apparently the thrill and excitement of Pacquiao’s victory was too much for them.

Clearly excitement was everywhere in the country. One newspaper’s headline the following day read “ONE NATION IN JUBILATION”. And rightfully so, everyone was celebrating. There’s not a single Filipino who doesn’t know Manny Pacquiao. Manny has become the biggest Filipino celebrity. He has all these product endorsements, TV commercials, a clothing line, and even a music album, which immediately sold-out hours after his victory in Las Vegas. Pacquiao and his team were like F1 drivers, with all the patches and logos of sponsors not only on their shirts, but also on the Manny’s boxing shorts. According to some sources, those shorts were worth about five million pesos in product endorsements. A space on Manny’s shorts cost advertisers millions. In a way, he is a walking billboard. Even a Vegas hotel paid him 300,000 dollars just to don a cap bearing the hotel’s name during interviews. Not like Manny needs the money. He already got at least two million dollars for the fight, not to mention a percentage of the pay-per-view income.

He could run for president and he’s a sure winner. As Inquirer columnist Neal Cruz stated: “Even in a snap election, I don't think anybody can beat Pacquiao now. Even if you put together the votes of Ate Glue, Fidel Ramos and De Venecia with the help of Garci, I don't think they can beat Manny.” Hmmm... Manny Pacquiao as president? Okay, so that's a little far-fetched.

What I’m just trying to illustrate is what I’d like to call the “Pacman Phenomenon”. In the hours during the fight, the streets in Dumaguete, and perhaps every other street in the country, were practically empty. From 10 AM to 3 PM that day, and even earlier, the city was more like a ghost town. Everyone was glued to their TV sets. Everywhere in the Philippines, people stopped doing whatever they did, and spent that time to watch our new-age “National Hero.” As a result, the Philippine National Police announce that there was zero-crime rate during those few hours.

This is not an exaggeration. People flocked to the biggest TV screens in their neighborhood, at the municipal plaza, and even in food courts and restaurants. Movie houses featured live broadcasts of the fight in big screen. And guess who were some of those seen together coming out of the movie houses after the event? Politicians coming from both the administration and opposition. Talk about uniting a country.

For once the country was united. There was no politics involved. The only thing, in my opinion, that tainted everything was the appearance Chavit Singson and Mike Arroyo on the ring after the fight, and the GMA phone call. I quote another Inquirer columnist, Amando Doronila's analysis:

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo made quick political capital of Pacquiao's triumph. Paying tribute to Pacquiao, she said he was her "inspiration" in governance. She identified with Pacquiao, saying he "rose from defeat with a sharper mind, and a stronger body and will to win. That is why he is the true people's champion in this time of challenges and opportunity."

Not to be outdone, the Senate, hotbed of senatorial conspiracies against the regime, produced a raft of proposed resolutions acclaiming Pacquiao's victory. One authored by Sen. Francis Pangilinan said the boxer played "an inspirational role ... in a nation troubled by political and economic upheavals."

In a rare demonstration of national unity, the ring triumph touched off an explosion of national pride in a country that has long been starved of economic achievements and political stability.

Just imagine, a week ago, political instability and coup rumors were the talk of the town. In fact, a text message about a supposed phone conversation, akin to the original “Hello Garci” version, between PGMA and Manny circulated. It went something like this:

"Hello, Manny? Pipilitin mo, ha? (You will try your best?) Kasi ... ano ... ano ... pag natalo ka, i-ku-kudeta ako (Because if you lose, there will be a coup d'état)."

Right now, it’s all about Manny. And it will get even bigger as he is scheduled to return to the Philippines in the coming days. The self-proclaimed and rightful “Storm Across The Pacific” is coming home. Manila’s preparing a big parade in honor of him. And perhaps an even bigger one awaits him at his hometown in General Santos City.

As for Pacquiao, his next foe would most likely be another Mexican in the name of Marco Antonio Barrera, whom he had demolished last November, 2003. A victory in that fight would even push him to higher grounds. Hopefully, he’d stick being “Little Ali”, instead of deciding to run for president and to succeed “Little Ate Glo.”

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