Pacquiao visits Cebu for Sinulog

Cebu - Pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao quietly slipped into town yesterday to pay homage to Senor Santo Niño and join, in his own special way, thousands of devotees and tourists in celebrating the Sinulog Festival.

It's the first time that Pacquiao was here for the Sinulog festivities. His trip to the Queen City of the South was also his first since his epic triumph over boxing great Oscar de la Hoya six weeks ago in Las Vegas.

"May this occasion reminds us all that we need God. We are nothing and we can do nothing if we don't trust everything to the Lord," said Pacquiao, a self-confessed devotee of the miraculous Santo Niño. "I hope that everyone will not only look at it (Sinulog) as a celebration, but an opportunity to thank God for the blessings we enjoyed in our lives, be it big or small."

Much as he wanted to take part in the revelry, Pacquiao opted to distance himself from the public as he doesn't want to be a "show-stealer."

"Just like everybody else, I'm here to pay homage to Santo Niño in my own simple way. As much as I can, I have to distance myself from the public because I don't want to disrupt the solemn affair and get in the way of the celebration," said Pacquiao.

But not at the lobby of the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino where he and his party are billeted.

Upon his arrival at the five-star hotel, Pacquiao was mobbed by fans, some of them 'balikbayans; who gladly told the Filipino ring icon that they were at the MGM Grand Garden Arena last December 6 when he beat De la Hoya to the pulp and forced the Golden Boy to surrender before the start of the ninth round.

After graciously entertaining several requests for photo-ops and cracking jokes at fans, Pacquiao turned serious saying that as devotees "we must remain steadfast in our faith to Sto. Niño and always believe in the power of prayers because it builds strength within against all the trials in life."

On his next career move, Pacquiao stayed firm on his demand of a 60-40 share in a proposed May 2 showdown with Briton ring superstar Ricky "Hitman" Hatton.

"I wanted a 60-40 split. Lately the camp of Hatton is offering a 52-48 split that could even go up to 55-45, but I leave it all to my handlers," said Pacquiao, specifically referring to his legal counsel Jeng Gacal who is in charge of the negotiations with Team Hatton.

The Pacquiao-Hatton duel, which has earlier been considered by Top Rank chairman Bob Arum as a done deal, has been put on hold because of the differences by both camps in terms of purse sharing.

Pacquiao wants the lion's share of a 60-40 split, but Hatton's insisted of an even 50-50 split as they verbally agreed earlier by Arum, Pacman's promoter.

While Team Pacman stood pat on their ground, Hatton's camp, through his lawyer Gareth Williams, said they're willing walk away from the fight and will even consider legal action against Pacquiao.

"If there's no agreement that will be reached which I think is fair enough for both parties, then we have to consider looking for other opponents," said Pacquiao, who is eyeing either Floyd Mayweather, Jr. or the undefeated world featherweight champion Edwin Valero of Venezuela as his next possible foe if the Hatton deal fizzles out.

While nothing is definite yet regarding his next bout, Pacquiao said he will focus on his family, studies and television commitments that range from hosting, guesting, and endorsing commercial products.

He is also keen on entertaining a lucrative offer to star with acclaimed American actor Sylvester Stallone in a Hollywood action movie. - Emmanuel B. Villaruel  (THE FREEMAN)