The clean sweep by Filipino boxers against their foreign opponents yesterday at the Araneta Coliseum is a great morale booster not only for the fighters involved but for all Filipinos as well.
The feat was a welcome respite from scandal-laden news that have become almost regular fare in this scandal-prone country of ours. It was the kind of feel-good story that makes us proud again to be Filipinos.
What made the development even more exhilarating was the fact that it involved other Filipino boxers other than Manny Pacquiao, whose exploits now tend to become too predictable to be less provocative.
The main winner, Gerry Peñalosa, whose boxing family made Cebu home, was battling not just for his title and the money that came with its defense but also for a stake of glory in posterity, being already in the twilight of his career at 35.
Another big winner was Rey Bautista, who was coming off a sorry first round knockout to a better fighter in a fight that was obviously rushed. Bautista needed and got the win against a Mexican and thus regained his confidence and pride, and extended RP dominance of over Mexico.
The world of boxing was not exactly made in heaven, and one may expect any bout to be a little frayed on the edges here and there, especially since all of the major bouts ended in abbreviated fashion, something that, while not impossible, can be a little too tacky in a day.
Nevertheless, let not the frayed edges spoil what was clearly an exhilarating card for a nation hungry for redemption, the kind that Manny Pacquiao has seemed to have secured a franchise for but which, coming by way of others, can be truly refreshing.
The sense of release the nation felt is clear proof that Filipinos have grown weary of politics and scandal and want to move on with their lives, to enjoy the pleasures long stymied by the burden of national stagnation.