The pugilist

"He has given this country a momentary splash of national pride each time he ascends the ring and knocks his opponent out."

If we test for awareness, there is hardly any Filipino from age 15 and up who does not know Manny Pacquiao, the “Pambansang Kamao”—PacMan to the rest of the world.

From a difficult childhood in Mindanao because his parents were dirt poor, Manny had big dreams, and used his fists, his physical prowess and agility, and his determination to become not only a world champion several times over, but a legend in the sport.

He has since parlayed that popularity, that heroic aura, into the field of politics. The first time he entered the political arena, he lost the congressional elections in his hometown General Santos City, but he persisted, moved to Sarangani, and was elected representative in 2010. After two terms, he ran for senator of the realm, and landed seventh place in 2016, at the young age of 37. He would only be 43 by May of 2022.

Sometime last year, his boxing promoter, Bob Arum, an American, announced that Sen. Manny Pacquiao would run for president after the incumbent, Rodrigo Roa Duterte of Davao City, ends his single constitutionally-mandated term. This was followed by a denial from the senator, the kind one would describe as “jele-jele, pero quiere.”

Many celebrities, whether from the movie world or television, and even sports, have entered politics, some as a retirement job, and in the entertainment industry or sports, retiring early is the norm, because popularity dims as age ripens. Unless you are an FPJ or a Dolphy, 40 is old in the business of entertaining. Note that our Constitution requires those running for senator to be 35 years of age by the time they take their oath of office.

Some in fact have made politics a lucrative business, aside from mixing public service with their real passion or profession, whether sports or entertainment. One only has to recall the not-too-recent, but still unresolved scandals involving so many politicians in the Napoles pork barrel scams. Less scandalous but commonplace, are political fiefdoms which have become “vaca lecheras” for the business called politics.

But Manny Pacquiao is supposedly of a different mold. He made, and continues to make, billions in professional pugilism. Not politics, although unlike fellow senator Ping Lacson, he partakes of the pork barrel. Happily, one has not heard of any scandals in the usage of his pork allocations, first as congressman, and now as senator.

But he has begun to form his own political dynasty, with his brothers running for public office as well, and successfully on the strength of their kinship with the legend. One would not be surprised if a son or two eventually turn into politics as well. Dynasties are the lay of the land in Philippine politics, after all.

Estimates of Pacquiao’s net worth are in the vicinity of P3 billion to P10 billion. If he had not squandered most of his earnings in the ring in the early heady days of his career, he certainly would have more. Still, from one who grew up in a hovel in GenSan, Sen. Pacquiao and his family now live in a palatial mansion in Forbes Park, apart from owning many other mansions elsewhere in the country. His narrative is quite compelling, truly rags to riches.

In a country enamored with material success, that narrative can win millions of votes. Most politicians make capital of a rags-to-riches story, whether real or spruced-up. Excepting those who have had middle-class origins at a time when surveys did not distinguish between poor and feeling poor, the only president who was really born poor in our history was Diosdado Macapagal, the poor boy from Lubao. Even Quezon, who was a “famulo” in San Juan de Letran, came from middle-class provincial origins. And Ramon Magsaysay was never poor, coming from landed gentry in Zambales who married a rich lady from Bataan. In fact, the rather aristocratic Elpidio Quirino, who the CIA demonized in favor of “Monching is my Guy,” was the son of a jail warden and a public school teacher. Working middle class who married into wealth because he had brains.

University of Makati’s expanded tertiary equivalency program gave the Pacman a bachelor’s degree in Political Science just about a year ago, when he was already a senator. His main proposed legislation, bringing back the death penalty, has yet to pass.

But Pacquiao shows a kind heart, which scores him highly in the compassion metric. Together with his friend, Chinese billionaire Jack Ma, he donated some 50,000 test kits at the height of the coronavirus pandemic. In his home provinces of South Cotabato and Sarangani, people line up outside his mansion during special occasions for hand-outs.

What Manny has given this country though is a momentary splash of national pride each time he ascends the ring and knocks his opponent out. And the whole world cheers with us. Many in this globe in fact learned about a country called the Philippines only because of Manny Pacquiao.

Still, the problems of 2022 and the preceding year which is just around the corner, may, (and I really hope “may” comes to fruition in the next election) just knock more sense into the “masa” deprived of livelihood and hope, enough to look at Competence in greater degree than mere Compassion (which is also easy to contrive).

For the pugilist who has given this country so much pride, one hopes that he would find it in himself to have the humility to “aral pa more” through experience and not through books, before he runs for the highest post in the land.

As the great Dolphy once said, “Madali ang manalo. Ang mahirap, ano gagawin mo ‘pag nanalo ka na?”

Such simple wisdom.

Still, the Senate, if one is diligent, is not a bad place to “aral pa more.” And if exigencies in the art of the possible which is politics so dictate by October 2021 when COCs have to be filed, even a vice-presidential run may fit the Pacman best, for his sake and the people’s, while he does “aral pa more” in preparation for the real political championship in public service, which is the presidency of this benighted land.