'Ambassador Emmanuel Pacquiao'

The undisputed supremacy of Manny Pacquiao in the boxing arena has turned him into a worldwide icon, easily the most famous Filipino there is. But along with this legendary status comes people latching on to his bandwagon, hoping to bask in borrowed glory from the boxing champion. No doubt a lot of these people are feeding Pacquiao with grandiose notions of conquering politics – no doubt also for their own agenda.

Unsurprisingly, a lot of Filipino boxing fans have expressed their concern about their idol’s intention to enter politics, fearful that this could taint and eventually corrupt him. But perhaps what’s happening is also a case of what Filipinos call “habang pinipigil, lalong nanggigigil.” When Pacquiao first decided to make a go for it, I seem to recall him bristling at the advice of some politicians to reconsider his political plans. Some people could take advantage of his naiveté and he might end up losing money, some politicians cautioned him, to which Manny replied that he was not so stupid as to allow that to happen.

It’s also possible that deep inside, the thought that a worldwide phenomenon like him could be “knocked out” by Darlene Custodio in the 2007 elections still rankles Pacquiao, so perhaps another run for Congress – albeit in a different district – has become a fixation for the boxing champ. 

I shudder at the thought that all this adulation and fawning that is being showered on Pacquiao right now would one day vanish. The worst thing that could happen to anyone is to wake up realizing that all his fame, glory and money are gone. After all, there have been so many cases of people coming into money fast and losing it just as quickly because of bad investments and unsound decisions, even more so if they get into politics – a brutal game that even an astute and veteran politician like Joe de Venecia can lose.

While there are some who are goading him to get into politics, a lot of people definitely want him to stay out of it, believing that it could eventually ruin him. With his status as a global icon, why not just turn Emmanuel Pacquiao into an honest-to-goodness goodwill Ambassador of the Philippines? Judging from the way Hollywood stars flocked to Manny’s dugout after his victory over Hatton, not to mention that photo-op with former US president Bill Clinton – it’s clear that he has become not only immensely popular, but has earned the respect of people all over the world.

Pacquiao has singlehandedly put the Filipino in the world’s radar, his face recognized by people in Singapore, Britain, Puerto Rico, even a small town in Kazakhstan (the country of Serikzhan Yeshmagambetov who floored Pacquiao during a 2003 fight but was himself knocked out by the Filipino champ in that same bout).

In Manny Pacquiao, people can see the best in the Filipino: determined, hardworking, tenacious, focused and disciplined. These are the very same traits that our OFWs possess. If the government really wants to take advantage of Manny’s popularity and the current euphoria over his win, then this is one area where they can make full use of him – as an ambassador of goodwill going all over the world to promote the Philippines and even solicit jobs for OFWs because he symbolizes what the Filipino is.

Perhaps Ambassador Pacquiao can even go to Hong Kong to pay Chip (Cheap) Tsao a visit. He may even challenge the Hong Kong Magazine columnist to a fight with both hands tied behind his back. But seriously, Manny can do a lot to dispel unwarranted comments from people like Tsao especially with the story of his phenomenal rise to fame and glory which shows that Filipinos can excel and be good at what they do.

Manny Pacquiao may not like the unsolicited advice being given him by so many people, even Palace officials like Silvestre Bello who are trying to dissuade him from entering politics. Nevertheless, he would do well to remember this proverb: “Listen to advice and accept correction, then in the end you will be wise.” 

At this point in his career, Manny Pacquiao has nothing more to prove. His prowess in the boxing arena, his humility at attributing his victories to God, his phenomenal success story – all these have already made him a real champion in the hearts of the Filipino people. It already sounds better to hear Manny being called “Ambassador Pacquiao” instead of “Congressman Pacquiao.”

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Some people have been asking me to write about the state of the pre-need industry especially in light of what has been going on, with a number of firms discovered to have deficient trust funds and facing suspension by the Securities and Exchange Commission. While some of these companies are now having difficulties because of the financial crisis, there are those who have been deliberately delinquent and remiss in their obligations to plan holders.

A reader asked me in particular about College Assurance Plan or CAP, and from the information I have, CAP will continue paying benefits to its plan holders in line with its court-approved rehabilitation plan. I understand the company has sold MRT III bonds to the government precisely to pay the plan benefits, and that approval for the release of said funds for plan holders was decided during a special board meeting.

We really hope the SEC can do something to protect the policy holders, many of whom are ordinary working folk who painstakingly saved money hoping they can give their children a better future by securing their college education. It’s really heartbreaking to hear about all these people being left holding an empty bag, devastated at realizing that their dreams have been shattered.

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