Pacquiao stays as super feather, vows comeback

Amid a shower of confetti and moral support, Manny Pacquiao yesterday vowed to stage a comeback and warned Mexicans Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales of his continued presence in the super-featherweight division.

"I shall return," said Pacquiao, borrowing the famous words of the American World War II hero Douglas McArthur.

"Bata pa naman ako. Mahaba pa ang boksing. Gaganti tayo," added the 26-year-old Filipino ring gladiator 10 days after he lost to the crafty Morales in their 12-round blockbuster fight held at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Pacquiao and his wife Jinkee arrived at the Manila Domestic Airport before noon and were immediately brought to the Manila City Hall where he was welcomed by Manila Mayor Lito Atienza and his screaming fans.

Pacquiao stepped out of a white Ford Expedition wearing Barong Tagalog, waved to his fans, signed so many autographs and had pictures taken with his fans. He was mobbed and needed the help of a handful security to get out of it all.

Ali Atienza, the mayor’s son, was among those who welcomed Pacquiao at the city hall. He almost paid dearly for it, getting caught in the middle of the boxer’s overzealous fans and in the process having his white linen shirt torn on one side.

Inside the spacious, air-conditioned Bulwagang Villegas, Pacquiao was made to sit at the presidential table to deliver a short speech, during which he thanked his fans, especially those from Manila, for their prayers.

"Salamat sa mga dasal ninyo. Hindi lang naman para sa akin ‘yun kung hindi para sa buong bayan na din natin. Tao lang tayong nagkakamali kaya I-charge na lang natin sa history ‘yun," he said, drawing cheers and laughter from the crowd.

Correcting himself, he said: "Charge to experience pala."

Pacquiao also took a swipe at his American promoter Murad Muhammad whom he said made more money than he did for his recent bout — through the latter’s share in the close to $16 million raised by the pay-per-view telecast.

Pacquiao received a fixed purse of $1.75 million and did not receive a single centavo from the pay-per-view income.

"Si Murad? May laban siyang padating next month. Pero hindi na ako ang makakalaban niya," said Pacquiao who, according to reports, is poised to file a case against the sweet-talking Muhammad.

His face now looking so much better than after the fight, Pacquiao said he doesn’t intend to go back to the featherweight division (126 lbs) and would rather slug it out with Barrera, now the reigning WBC and WBA champion, and Morales in the higher 130 lb division.