EDITORIAL - Biting off more than we can chew

Ordinarily, it’s an honor for a country to host an event that’s sure to attract international attention. In a highly competitive global environment, most countries must fight to be noticed on the radar screens of investors and tourists. The need for positive international attention is even more urgent for countries such as the Philippines, whose image abroad has been taking a beating due to the depredations of Abu Sayyaf terrorists.

With these in mind, Tourism Secretary Richard Gordon has been pushing with his usual zeal for Manila to host the world heavyweight championship fight between Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis. Gordon sees a great publicity opportunity in the fight, which will be a sequel to the "Thrilla in Manila" bout between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier in 1975. Playing host will be costly, but Gordon is hoping the consequent tourism revenues will make up for the expenses.

This is one publicity-generating project, however, that the government must carefully think over. The host of such an event will have to pay the fees, transportation and accom-modations of Tyson and Lewis as well as all other expenses related to the championship fight. Estimates of the cost run to as high as $50 million – roughly P2.5 billion. That’s bigger than the annual budget of the Department of Tourism.

Several questions must be answered if the government is seriously considering Gordon’s proposal. Can the cost be recovered? The bulk of advertising revenues will go to whoever will have TV rights over the fight. Forget ticket sales; even if general admission is priced at P10,000 per head, the amount will hardly make a dent in that whopping budget. Will the tourists come? Here Gordon can try to make his case. But the biggest deterrent to tourism in this country has been the kidnappings – by the Abu Sayyaf, Muslim separatists and ordinary criminals. Will this problem be over by the time the bout is supposed to be held this year?

As for publicity, the country has been getting enough due to the presence of American troops in what has been billed as the second front in the US-led war on terror. Is P2.5 billion worth it simply for publicity? And what sort of publicity will you generate when you’re hosting a fight featuring the bad boy of boxing, a convicted rapist who bites off his opponent’s ears? The government should take care that the nation does not end up biting off more than it can chew.