Hunger for a living hero

The nationwide excitement generated by Manny Pacquiao's fights and the massive jubilation that explodes after his hands are raised in triumph is symptomatic of the Filipinos' need for a hero, a living one. We have of course our traditional heroes - Rizal, Bonifacio, Lapu-Lapu, etc - but they belonged to eras long gone and forgotten and beyond their historic significance, their names hardly ring a bell to present day Pinoys.

But Pacquiao's? The bell rings loud and exultant. It's a hero's name to most of his country men, especially to the masa and the middle income earners. These people have identified themselves with the Pacman, for was he not like them once? Like them he used to be poor and unemployed and barely literate. Like them he was a nameless factor among nameless millions whose main concern was mere survival. Now, look at where he is - not just a multi-millionaire, or a billionaire perhaps, but a hero to many.

Money of course does not make a hero. We have the Sys, the Tans, the Cojuangcos, the Ayalas, the Aboitizes and others whose billions are the envy of the average Pinoy. They are admired and respected, but not hero-worshipped as people do to the Pacman. The reason could be that the latter's feat is more dramatic because it involves a triumph in the popular sports of boxing, a triumph which excels those of other boxers in the international stage.

Yet one can rationalize that there have been other outstanding sportsmen among Filipinos - Nepomuceno is one, and the current klatch of billiard greats are another - but these have not been given the heroic status such as that vested upon the Gensan athlete. What's behind this happening?

Is it the sacrifices he undergoes as he prepares for this martial sport? Pacquiao's training before a major fight has been reported as unusually rigorous. "Aray ko" he says, in a commercial, but this is OK because of "galing ko". A hundred miles of jogging or one hundred hours of practice bouts are not a joke. But this Pinoy athlete gladly goes through it all for the good of his "kababayan", he says. It's a sacrifice for the country, actually, which is of course just a shade different from one dying for the same cause.

One can also rationalize that this phenomenon is only temporary and that after some time this whole thing would pass away and Pacquiao would be forgotten. This could happen, without doubt, but Pacquiao, who has been acknowledged by international experts as the greatest boxer ever, will not be easily forgotten in this country.

Be that as it may, the interesting thing to consider now, as pointed out earlier, is that the sky-high popularity of Pacquiao is indicative of our peoples' crying need for a living hero, somebody they can proudly raise high for the whole world to see and say, this is the Filipino.

For decades now this country has suffered the ignominy of being looked upon as the poor man of Asia. Can something good come out of the Philippines? This could be the unspoken opinion of many foreigners every time they talk about this country and its people. (Which reminds one of a biblical passage which says: Can something good come out of Nazareth?). Much as we bristle with discomfort, the truth is that we have only ourselves to blame. Why?

We all know why. It's the leadership or lack of it, that's why. Since post-war days the so-called leaders who have taken turns to govern this country have mostly been, forgive the term, carpetbaggers whose bone-deep obsession has been to perpetuate themselves in power for their own selfish ends. Some of them might have been well-intentioned and conscience-driven at the start. But almost always they get poisoned by partisan politics and love of power, and these corrode the exercise of good judgment. Decisions for the good of all take the backseat in favor of those that benefit vested interests and big-time campaign contributors.

Last May, the Filipinos spoke as one and drove away a corrupt regime. But corruption has been the skeletons in the closets of every Malacañang occupant. And that dictator who lorded it over this hapless land for almost two decades was the prime specimen of this kind of leadership.

With this system, what nation can prevail? Socially, economically, politically and what have you, we are the poor guys in the international scene.

Is it surprising if we rejoice and make a hero of our champion in Manny Pacquiao?

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