Manny Pacquiaio wins for Philippines

We have waited for months to watch Manny Pacquaio and Ricky Hatton exchange fists in the ring, and with mixed joy and disappointment, on May 2, Manny won by knock out!  It was disappointing because practically as spectators of the game, we expected adrenalin rushing on every round and yet it seemed that Ricky Hatton was caught barefooted and was finished in the 2nd round.  Joyfully of course because the Philippines is victorious again!

Manny Pacquiao has brought many good reasons for everyone to be inspired of.  It is no wonder that a lot of companies' worldwide would hire him for endorsements.  Those endorsements you would only be seeing in Michael Jordan are now seen on Manny Pacquiao.  You can just imagine how far Manny Pacquiao have conquered the hearts and mind of the people all over the world.  

The best part of Manny Pacquiao is that he brings the Philippines together with him wherever he goes. During the Manny Pacquiao and Ricky Hatton fight, the people have heard the famous Manny Pacquio rendition of the "Pilipino and lahi ko"(Filipino is my race) song he personally sang.  You have never yet seen any fighter who had this level of patriotism in him other than Manny Pacquiao.

Manny Pacquao doesn't only fight for himself alone but also for his country before God and next to himself.  This is what he always say in every press conference he attends.  A person with such a heart will not be easily conquered.  This is certainly the reason why Manny Pacquiao has gone this far - he puts himself behind in every victory he makes.  He doesn't put himself on the pedestal for everyone to see and pride himself with.

He also has all the reason to do his best every time he is on the ring, because he does not only fight for his country figuratively but he literally brought his countrymen behind as his Manny Pacquiao team.  during his fights, he had with him the speaker of the house of the congress of the Philippines and some colleagues, he had with him the governors and mayors, and not to mention the husband of the Philippine president, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.  That is indeed the entire Philippines behind him, doesn't it? and not  to mention of course the seemingly holiday scene in the Philippines since almost everyone is hooked in the boob tube to watch him fight.

The phenomenal recognition that Manny Pacquiao has brought about in his successive victories  also changed the country's political landscape.  The Philippine officials have made use of Manny Pacquiao's popularity to cascade some of their political, whether institutional or personal , agenda down to the grassroots level.
The political scene in the Philippines has never been stabler when Manny Pacquiao has a fight.  Political parties have different agenda and so with the rest of the Filipino people, and they only come together in unity when Manny Pacquiao wins the fight.  Do you see how influential this Manny Pacquiao is?

The Philippines current adminstration has made use of Manny Pacquiao's popularity in many ways than one to achieve their polical objectives.  There are always political issues, if not scandals, haunting the government all over the land. Manny Pacquiao's victories however, puts media bombardment to a halt focused on Manny Pacquiao.  It is as if he serves as a breather for the government scoundrels to recoup;and they are best at it.  Many of these government personalities swarm Manny Pacquiao for photo ops as soon as they see a glimpse of him before  or after the fight.  Well, Bill Clinton did anyway, so why couldn't they?

What the Philippine government failed to do was to maximize the use of manny Pacquiao's popularity internationally to showcase to the world the Philippines as a country.  They have focused so much on how Manny Pacauio can contribute to serve their political ends rather than towards the country's benefit as a nation.  The world knows that Manny Pacquiao is from the Philippines, but they never had an inkling what the Philippines is all about.  They could not even associate Boracay or Bohol with Manny Pacquiao. If we want to be a reknowned tourist destination, we have to think along this line. 


What the Philippine government could have done is to promote the Philippines everytime there is a manny Pacquiao fight.  Instead of these hooligans tailing the champion whenever he fights, why not send the entire Philippines marketing team instead and showcase Philippines products to the world in a separate tradeshow.  If they can set up a tadeshow inside the coliseum why not, they can surely find a way to hit the right button to capture the market through Manny Pacquiao.  If it is tourism that they want to promote, then let them promote tourism while the world is hooked in Manny Pacquiao.  There is always a way to get attention and the best time is now when everybody knows Manny Pacquiao.