THAT DAY IN JULY
By Rene Bonsubre, Jr.
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 26 Jul 2007
TANZANIA -- The ringing of my cellphone felt like a bomb exploding in my head. I groped for the light switch.
‘Hello! Where are you? Are you in the hospital and are there soldiers with guns on the street?” It was my father and he sounded frantic.
“No. What guns?” My head was heavy, my mind blurry and my watch said 4 A.M. “I am in Quezon City and I was asleep.”
My father was in our hometown in Cebu. I have not heard his voice since Christmas. Following his instructions, I turned on my small black and white television. Images of an armed personnel carrier and soldiers appeared on the screen. The street looked eerily familiar.
‘They are in Makati.” My father said. “There seems to be coup of some sort.”
They were on the same avenue that I ride through everyday going to work. But I felt I should not bother my father with such details.
“Don’t worry, I’ll update you by text.” I wanted to keep him from being agitated. “Oh, by the way, Manny Pacquiao will be defending his title against Mexican Emmanuel Lucero today in the U.S. I hope they can still air it live.”
One hour and two cups of coffee later, my cellphone was ringing again. Colleagues were requesting me to cover for them at work and those already in the hospital for almost 36 hours asked me if I can reach the place and relieve them of duty.
If there is a downside to being a doctor, it is that you can rarely say no.
After almost three years in Metro Manila I already had a fairly good idea of the ins and outs of public transportation. Finding an alternative route to the hospital was hassle free, but not without worry.
As I made my rounds, patients and relatives in the private rooms were glued to their TV sets. The newscasters were giving updates. The armed soldiers who called themselves "Magdalo" were led by Lt. Antonio Trillanes of the Philippine Navy.
They were holed up in the Oakwood Apartment Tower in Ayala Center in Makati City and accused Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s administration and the military top brass of corruption.
I was worried about other things as well. Like foreign embassies issuing hysterical travel advisories to their nationals and the Philippine Stock Exchange just a block away.
Emmanuel Lucero (L) staggers after being hit by Pacquiao's vaunted left.
Top photo: Antonio Trillanes IV (R) led a faction of the Philippine military to revolt against the government of President Arroyo in July, 2003.
My late colleagues arrived just in time to relieve me of duty. It was fight time. There only three of us in the doctor’s quarters watching it. My colleague from Mindanao was quite vocal about his opinions about the demands of the mutineers. It was quite disturbing.
But there was a fight to watch. Lucero’s attack was crude but bothersome. He threw a lot of wild swings from a low crouch. Following trainer Freddie Roach’s instructions, Pacquiao countered with a body attack.
When the bell sounded for the third round, Pacquiao tagged Lucero with a right jab in the middle of the ring. Then he uncorked his vaunted left hand, which landed smack into the right jaw of Lucero.
The beaten challenger stood up straight stunned and wobbled around like a drunk. He turned before finally landing on his knees at the ropes. His eyes had the look of someone who had a seizure.
The referee did not bother to give the challenger a count. Once again, Pacquiao’s one punch power pulled him through. The entire country cheered and basked in his triumph. Somehow, on a day when the nation seemed to turn upside down, he gave us a reason to smile.
During the evening, the soldiers involved surrendered peacefully and were charged in a general court martial. There were cynical comments the morning after that the fight was more exciting than the mutiny.
FOUR YEARS LATER
Pacquiao would go on to beat two Mexican legends and become the first Asian to win Ring magazine’s Fighter of the Year honors. He ran for congressman in the Philippine elections last May and lost. He also had the rather unsettling experience of being booed in Cebu last February.
The events in Makati would go down in history as the Oakwood Mutiny. Trillanes ran for a senatorial position in the same elections, using the Magdalo agenda. Against all odds, he is the first Philippine Senator to be elected while in jail.
I have been out of touch, being away from the country for ten months now. I no longer have my hand on the local pulse. But it seems so incredible to me reading all of the recent events unfold.
We will cheer the Pacman again of course. Pacquiao’s string of successes may have made us take him for granted He will no longer be in the political arena but in the boxing ring where he truly belongs. He will be facing Marco Antonio Barrera again. It was the Barrera victory that really made the boxing world sit up and take notice.
During the course of my travels I have met people of various nationalities who wonder why we go crazy over one boxer. I smile and start my story with that day in July.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Rene Bonsubre, Jr..
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