Pacman’s loss: Could it be his challenge of faith?

When Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao was knocked out by that vicious counter punch of Juan Manuel Marquez last Sunday afternoon, there is no question that it was a shocking and a disastrously stunning defeat to an otherwise illustrious, albeit rags-to-riches boxing career of that nobody from General Santos, now Congressman Manny Pacquiao. Of course, I submit that suddenly, all Filipino have become boxing analysts, with practically everyone contributing his ten centavos worth in comments.

Although I already wrote a column for Monday, I was still very much within my deadline when the boxing match was over. But I decided to wait and listen or read the comments of a shocked Filipino nation about Manny Pacquiao’s stunning defeat. I read almost all the comments from my Facebook, Twitter and in my text messages and strangely… most of it talked about Manny’s change of religion from Catholic to that of being a Born Again Christian. Honestly… one could never find a link between religion and boxing. But then, people just can’t help it because when they watch the fights of the Pacman, they apparently get to notice every single detail of his actions.

Years ago, when the Pacman was on the rise to his boxing stardom, a great multitude of Filipinos noticed that everytime Manny enters the ring, he makes the sign of the cross and kneels to pray in the corner. Later we learned that he has a priest say the Holy Mass for him before and after each fight. In short, Manny Pacquiao was proud of his Catholicism and was not ashamed to show it to a world that has turned secular. Yet millions of people saw the Pacman proud of his faith on live satellite television.

When he became Congressman representing Sarangani Province, Manny Pacquiao called a press conference to openly declare that he was against the Reproductive Health (RH) Bill to the consternation of Pres. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino, III and the supporters of the RH Bill. The Catholic Church was no doubt pleased that this nobody from GenSan City would become their voice in Congress against this bill that is offensive to the Filipino family and culture.

But suddenly, we saw a change in the Pacman… he had become a Bible reading man, which is a good thing… except that he was getting advises from Pastors, many of whom come from the Born Again sect. I had this confirmed when I interviewed Bro. Noe Dura, a Pastor that turned Catholic who revealed to me on my TV show that the Pacman was now surrounded night and day by these Pastors, many of whom were his friends.

Of course, the Pacman’s mother Aling Dionesia was vehemently against this. In fact, Aling Dionesia went to town on GMA-7 last Sunday evening blaming Pacman’s defeat on these Pastors who led him away from the true church founded by our Lord Jesus Christ. Thank God for the strong faith and unwavering devotion of Aling Dionesia to her Catholic faith.

Indeed, when the Pacman won all his previous fights, we all saw him kneel down and make the sign of the cross with a holy rosary hanging on his neck. Last June 10, 2012 when the Pacman fought against Timothy Bradley, the Pacman no longer made the sign of the cross nor was the holy rosary hanging around his neck. Clearly, the Pacman had discarded these religious objects and signs… then he lost to Bradley. Although that was a split-decision, which could have gone either way… still the Pacman lost.

If there is anything we know about boxers or other sports celebrities, many of them wear some kind of rabbit’s foot for luck. But the Pacman wouldn’t have these pagan type of objects because he had the holy rosary around his neck. But suddenly this thing which was part of the Pacman chemistry or psyche was no longer there in the Bradley fight… so he lost that fight. So was it a mere coincidence?

The litmus test came last Sunday when the Pacman still knelt on the corner, but he no longer made the sign of the cross and the holy rosary was missing from his neck. Call it a twist of fate; it was his adversary, Juan Manuel Marquez who was making the sign of the cross whenever he could. Mind you, I’m not alone in my assessment as millions of Filipino Catholics have given the same analysis. Of course, those belonging to the Born Again groups will most certainly deny these comments.

Last October, Pope Benedict XVI declared the Year of Faith and somehow by God’s Divine grace… a boxing match held in Las Vegas, Nevada has suddenly taken a strange albeit religious twist. Now we know that many Filipinos are serious about their faith… and proudly make the sign of the cross even in public as a profession of their faith. Of course, it doesn’t help the Pacman any that his worst defeat came on December 8, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception… whose protection he has thrown away.

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