As we write, betting odds continue to favor Floyd “Money” Mayweather Jr. (at -225) over our own champ Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao (+175) for the upcoming “Fight of the Century” which will air Sunday morning. To the uninitiated, the numbers simply mean that a bet of $225 on Mayweather who is the heavy favorite will win you only $100. On the other hand, a bet of $100 on Manny Pacquiao who is the underdog this time will win you $175 – a simple case of llamado-dehado in local betting parlance.
Our money is on the Manny despite the great odds. For one, we all have seen how he has trained so hard and as far as we know there are no distractions this time with everything looking hunky dory in the marital front between Pacman and Jinkee, plus Kim Henares does not seem to be on her usual “basag-trip” mode. Throw in the peace of mind that Pacquiao has found in his Christian faith and you have one confident fighter.
Many are also raring to see Floyd the motor mouth kiss the floor, having alienated a lot of fight fans, including his fellow Americans, for declaring himself better than Sugar Ray Robinson and Muhammad Ali. “What blasphemy!” one of our older buddies could not help blurting out.
According to projections, the “Fight of the Century” is set to break all-time records, from the pay-per-view subscriptions (3 million) and revenue ($300 million) to live gate receipts ($70 million) and prize money (over $100 million each for both Manny and Floyd). That’s not even counting the brisk sales from fight memorabilia – cups to caps to shirts and hoodies and what have you.
Whatever the outcome, Filipinos will always be proud of their People’s Champ who has shown that he has a heart for the underdog, having come from nothing as he keeps telling anyone who cares to listen, attributing all that he has to a merciful and kind God. Cheers to you, Manny!
Labor Day pains
Today happens to be International Workers’ Day or just Labor Day to Filipino workers, so we expect to see Kilusang Mayo Uno, Migrante and other labor groups to hold protests and effigy burning events, with no other than President BS Aquino as the favorite recipient of their bile. As a matter of fact, there is even more vitriol now directed against President BS after the stay of execution of overseas Filipino worker Mary Jane Veloso who has been meted the death penalty in Indonesia for drug trafficking because of the Palace by the river’s quickness to grab credit for the reprieve. It didn’t help either that presidential sister Kris was quick to trumpet her pride at her brother’s supposed achievement. So her brother is a miracle worker now, eh?
Of course, everyone knows government only acted with haste to try and save Veloso in typical last two minutes fashion when media attention began to escalate, so credit rightfully goes not to just one person but to everyone who petitioned, prayed and pleaded for the OFW – including Indonesian labor group leaders who were able to get some private face time with Indonesian President Joko Widodo.
As far as Kilusang Mayo Uno is concerned, Pacman did more for Mary Jane by publicly calling on President Widodo to stop the scheduled execution. One could clearly hear the contempt of KMU thru its statement that praised Manny’s “most public appeal” which “stands in stark contrast to the lethargic and merely cosmetic attempts” of President BS “to make it appear that he is on Mary Jane’s side.”
By the way, the call of labor leaders for a minimum P16,000 monthly salary for all employees whether in the public or private sector seems to be falling on deaf ears. The call for the P16,000 wage rate came on the heels of an Ibon Foundation study that said workers should be receiving P1,086 daily wage (compared to the P444 for agriculture and P481 for non-agri workers in Metro Manila) which seems reasonable because the prices of basic commodities and utilities keep skyrocketing.
Last March, a P15 minimum wage hike increase was approved by the regional wage board much to the disappointment of labor groups who said the amount is not even enough to cover the cost of transportation. The MRT which is supposed to provide a bit of relief continues to be a pain, what with the glitches and malfunctions and accidents that force workers to take the bus instead, arriving late for work and getting penalized in the process. What a government!
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