Pacquiao for President?
Boxer Manny Pacquiao is a Filipino Hero, But he Could be More
Story by Charisse Domingo // Art by Adrian Avila

As a boxer, Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao has been able to single-handedly do what no Philippine government has ever done for the country– cut the crime rate to zero.   No little feat, for as long as I can remember, the political and cultural life of my country has always been troubled.   To give you a picture, there is a coup attempt on the government every six months or so.   But when Manny Pacquiao fights, the entire country literally stops what they are doing and watches. Sunday masses are empty, candles are lit, Manila traffic is decongested, and the crime rate is zero. There's temporary amnesty between the rebel and government factions. President Arroyo even cuts off meetings so she can watch him fight. Win or lose, he is what Philippine Sports Analyst Hermie Rivera calls, “a knight in shining armor; the only credible reason why we're happy now."

You don't have to be a sports fan to love Manny Pacquiao.   You just have to know the feeling of being fallen and fighting your way up.   Many of us have felt that at one time or another, of course.   But to the Philippines as a country, this is more than a feeling – it's the entire story of our nation. We have a history of colonization by not just one but three colonizers – Spain, the United States, and Japan. It's a little embarrassing sometimes to say you're Filipino because of the history of being the world's doormat. And this history is within the personal narrative of every Filipino in this world.

That is not to say my country doesn't have warriors or that we take things laying down. Colonization, I guess, is one way to test resiliency, because my people know how to survive.   And it's that resiliency that makes Manny Pacquiao so embraced.   He is the physical expression of our psyche.   Whether you grew up in the slums of Tondo (which my family did), a Communist rebel, a corrupt politician, or even an honest one, Manny resembles the fighter within our collective consciousness, whatever that fight may be. At the post-interview in his last fight with Mexican boxer Oscar Larios, Manny Pacquiao dedicated his fight to the Filipino people.   He said, “My fight is all our fight, our country's fight.”

With his power to capture the imagination of an entire nation, everyone's turning to Pacquiao for political leadership, especially the current politicians who struggle for regular people's airtime and respect.   Who wouldn't see Manny as the perfect mic – when all eyes and ears are on him? After every Pacquiao fight, politicians send out resolutions praising him, the President takes photos with him hoping his good spell might rub off on her, and the question comes up: Manny for President?   This is the fork in the road that many people who have charmed the Philippine masses – movie actors, athletes, singers -- eventually face.   Every blog, article, and forum I read about Manny Pacquiao eventually call for him to run for office.   In the Philippine Inquirer, one of the Philippines' major newspapers, journalist Neal Cruz wrote an editorial calling for Manny Pacquiao for President in 2010.   And its not just journalists. Former Senator Francisco Tatad, a popular political figure, has given his endorsement as well at a high profile media forum called Kapihan Sa Manila. Manny's wife, Jinkee, was quoted in Filipinas Mag saying that Manny told her he might want to stop fighting when he reached 30 years old, which is only two years away.   So the possibility is very real.  

As I hold my breath waiting for his answer, I hope to God he says no. I can take Manny for hero, but I cannot take Manny for President, or for any political office for that matter. Philippine politics has corrupted the most well-intentioned people, and I would hate for Manny's fighting spirit to be claimed in the name of more McDonalds, Starbucks, and golf courses in the Philippines.

That doesn't mean he can't take stances. Everyone knows the skills of Muhammad Ali as a boxer, but everyone also saw him speak out against the Vietnam War, join the Nation of Islam, and speak for equality and justice during the Civil Rights Movement. Most recently, as Oscar De La Hoya stepped out to fight Ricardo Mayorga in May 2006, he proudly wore a “No-on-4437” headband, denouncing the anti-immigrant bill that sparked thousands of immigrants to take the streets.

I hope Manny Pacquiao takes a stand too. I hope his lack of political stance means he's still thinking and not an absence of it. I'm all for country unity and pride in being Filipino, but if the conditions that led to disunity still exist, then pride will only last until Manny decides to retire. I'm still holding out for a hero, but for now, I'll settle for Manny Pacquiao.  

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