On my way home after lunch today, I was surprised with the number of students gathered around the gate of Southwestern University. What's more surprising is the multitude of ROTC uniformed students lining in formation. Obviously, someone "big" is expected to come.
Then, as if by on cue, all the girls started to shout (or more appropriately, shriek) on top of their lungs. That's when I realized, today is the day that the university is awarding an honorary doctorate in human kinetics to Manny Pacquiao.
Of course, the decision of the university is not without objection. Some professors are questioning the conferment. "Dr. Aparicio Mequi, dean of the graduate school of Foundation University and a former chair of the Philippine Sports Commission, said on Friday that while Pacquiao had brought honor to the country through his victories in boxing, the planned conferment on him of a doctorate in human kinetics (honoris causa) might be a violation of a policy of the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd)," an Inquirer.net report said. (Click here to read the entire report)
I will leave it up to the CHED to determine the validity of that honorary doctorate. My only question is, what's next, Congressman Pacquiao?
When Pacman decided to run as congressman before, he enrolled in a college course (after passing the equivalency test of DepEd for high school), taking up political science. That was before the election, probably to show that he is doing something to counter his critics that he is not built for politics. After he lost by a large margin, it was not pursued anymore (unless the school excused him for months when he was training for his de la Hoya fight).
Now, with the doctorate, there is no need for him to pretend to enroll in a univeristy. If you have a drop out (Erap) for a president (and another one, an evil corrupt alien calling herself as president), why can't you have a doctor, albeit an honorary doctorate on human kinetics, run for congress?
Or maybe Manny doestn't need the title anymore. He previously registered as a resident on a remote (at least compared to Gen Santos City) area, a move that critics believe is in preparation for his second try at politics. Why the transfer? He has a house in Gen San, he is frequently in Manila and in the US for his trainings and fights, so why register to vote in a remote area?
We can only guess, of course. Maybe there is no Darlene Custodio-like opponent who would beat him to humiliation again; or maybe money talks more in that area (as compared to Gen San again, as money talks everywhere in the Philippines, especially during elections, and especially in the halls of Malacanang and Congress)? It's not so hard to imagine.
You are considered a national traitor if you wished that de la Hoya would win last time (like I did), but maybe a humbled Pacman will realize that just because he is a great boxer, it doesn't mean he can win all his fights. I hope this time Hatton shows him that.
If Manny really wants to help his country, as he claims to be the reason why he is running, there are a lot of other ways that he could do so. He can get inspiration from other super stars, with the like of Jet Li and his One Foundation or many other Hollywood stars (we are sadly lacking examples of stars in the Philippines).
If he is bent on running, his kind of friends already showed us the kind of politician he will be. Mike Arroyo, Chavit Singson, and Lito Atienza? God bless this country!
Patuloy na umiibig sa Pilipinas,
At naniniwala sa Pilipino,
Froilan Grate | GreenMinds
www.NoBystanders.blogspot.com
PacMan is running as Congressman after all. If this is true, I would have to say sorry for thinking that he would run as senator. Bu who knows? It is too early to say. What's established is that he is entering politics again.
Well, at the very least, if Pacman will win as congressman, he will be with peers. A house of stupid or greedy people, or both. Unlike the senate, he will be at home in the House of Rep. But I doubt if the intelligent people of Quezon City will vote for him. I promise to camapign against him, even if I am from a different district. Watch out PacMan. You are not the luckiest man alive, I tell you.
MANILA, Philippines -- Filipino boxing champion Manny Pacquiao is giving politics another shot in 2010, but this time it will reportedly for the congressional seat of Quezon City’s second district, incumbent Representative Mary Ann Susano said Monday.
If plan pushes through, Susano said she and Pacquiao would be the team to beat in the city, which the incumbent solon envisions as the "Dragon City."
Susano said a group of businessmen and politicians arranged a meeting between her and Pacquiao before the boxer left for the US to train for his Dream Match with Oscar de la Hoya.
At the meeting, Pacquiao was asked if he was interested in running for Congress. Asked if Pacquiao appeared inclined to accept the offer, Susano said, "Yes."
Click here to read the entire news report.
It's sad day in Philippine history for me. God bless this country!
From Inquirer.net:
Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao stopped Oscar de la Hoya Saturday, defying a disadvantage in size with a brutally dominant performance in their welterweight showdown.
Pacquiao's speed, power, and precision were too much for De la Hoya, whose left eye was swelling shut as he declined to come out for the ninth round. With the technical knockout, Pacquiao improved to 48-3 with two drawn and 36 wins inside the distance.
Pacquiao, the reigning World Boxing Council lightweight champion, moved up two weight classes to take the lucrative bout with De la Hoya, a 10-time world champion in six different weight classes who fell to 39-6 with 30 knockouts.
Read related news here.
With Manny "Pacquiao’s penchant for charity, his inability to say no, and his belief that everything he does in the name of giving is in accordance with what God’s mission for him,"* Manny is giving away P35,000,000.Yes, 35 Million!
Great, right? Wait until you know where he is spending it.
Manny spent the 35M or about "$700,000 to purchase tickets to the “Dream Match” against Oscar De La Hoya so he can give them out to friends and supporters."* Well, what can you expect from the great Pacman.
Well, Mr. Fake Hero, I can think of better ways to spend your 35 million, which is in fact a tiny fraction of your expected 489 Million income from this so called Dream Match.
How to spend 35M? Let me count the ways:
1. Pay the tuition of more than 200 college students in UP for a full 4 year course.
2. Support the entire operational cost of 15 midsize NGO's for 3 years.
3. Provide more than 30,000 sacks of rice for distribution to the poorest of the poor in the Philippines.
4. Train more than 3,500 villages on ecological solid waste management.
5. Build 350 treeless houses that are fire, flood and earthquake proof.
6. Provide more than 30 doctors for 5 years to the remotest villages in the country.
6. Provide capital support to more than 700 women to start their own small enterprise.
7. Build more than 100 new classrooms.
8. Hire and support 250 new public school teachers for 1 year.
9. Provide free internet access to over 3,000 public schools for the entire year.
10. Provide clean drinking water to over 2,000 rural villages.
And oh yes, if you ask GMA, 35M can also be used to:
1. Buy 70 governors to support the Charter Change initiative.
2. Buy 35 bishops to support her, or vote against a CBCP call for her to resign.
3. Buy 170 congressmen, enough to make sure that the impeachment complaint will be junked.
4. Buy 35 generals of the AFP to keep the military "insulated" from the "political noise."
5. Get the services of ALL the killers-for-hire in the country to murder any journalist or political opponents who gets in her way.
I could think of a lot more ways to spend his millions, I am just an email away if he needs more suggestions.
I'm sure he will also give to "real" charity, but I doubt if it is even half that amount. And I am wondering, will Chavit Singson and Mike Arroyo get free tickets too? Just asking.
Win or loose, Pacman will earn an estimated 489 million pesos - at least. And in an unfortunate event that he will win, he may even receive 1 MILLION PESOS from GMA in Malacanang as gift to our "hero!"
I just hope that money was not from the tax payers. Mayber not, maybe it's from the fertilizer fund scam, or the ZTE kickbacks, or the Macapagal Boulevard overprice, or from the swine missing loans.
But wait, aren't all of those taxpayers' money?
*From Inquirer.net. Click here to read related news article.
Or why would de la Hoya do a favor to the Philippines by defeating Manny Pacquiao?
As much as I admire Pacman as a boxer (A sport I don't understand by the way. When was it ok to hurt someone? When was it ok for thousands of people to cheer on 2 people killing each other? When was it ok for anyone to bet on who would suffer the most?), I can't bring myself to admire him as a person.
The way that he allowed himself to be used by the powers that be (and he will do it again!!!) in the name of Atienza and the Arroyo gang is enough reason to loose respect for the man. Speaking of Atienza, it still amazes me how he can provide a hero's welcome to a fake hero but ignore the real heroes in his city - the teachers, the medical workers, etc. Manny, adopted son of Manila? So why did he hold his press conference in DENR and ignore the preparation of the City under Mayor Lim? It does speak of his character.
I also could not understand how the Church chose Manny to be their poster boy in their fight against the Reproductive Health Bill. The man is a womanizer for Christ' sake! He abandoned his own child from a mistress, and he makes kids every break from boxing! Manny for RH? Shame!
So why do I want Oscar to win?
Simple.
He needs to be humbled. Manny believes that if he can take de la Hoya, he can take the Senate next. Yes, he will allow himself to be used again by those crooked politicians. They need him in the senate to have another puppet, in addition to Revilla and Lapid of course. For who else who run under the administration ticket? Running is one thing, winning is another.
If Oscar will win, I hope it would be a wake up call for Manny. He cannot just take up any fight. There are fights that are beyond him. What will he do in the senate? Punch any senator who would object to his resolution making boxing the national sport? Where would he use his pork barrel, in building boxing gyms in every baranggay? Nice!
But honestly, I want him to loose for one more important reason.
I want his loss to be a wake up call for Filipinos. Manny represents a false hope to many of us. Young kids want to skip school and punch each other so they could be like their hero. And every fight of Manny, the country stops. Crimes go down. With every win, the entire country feels that we are ok.
But we are not OK. We have a corrupt government, poverty is not going down. If we can unite for one day to watch Manny fight, why can't we unite for one day to demand accountability from those in power? If people can spend thousands to bet on him or to watch him on live telecast, why can't we give to worthy causes. The theaters are packed every fight, but go to film festivals with enviornmental or social themes, and you will find an empty hall.
So yes, I may be alone in this country, but I am praying that Oscar will win. Manny's loss does not diminish my being Filipino. He was never my hero. He never will be, not unless he cut his ties with his crooked friends and distribute his wealth, even just a part of it, to the poorest in his province - but not as part of his campaign.
So Oscar, do my country a favor. But please don't make it too hard on him, let him reach the 12 round so the macho Filipino's can still claim that at least their hero fought till the end.
So we can continue to fool ourselves.
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