WELCOME HOME CHAMP
By Rich Mazon
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 12 Dec 2012
Manny Pacquiao?s return to the Philippines today will be unlike his previous homecoming. This one will be very different from than the one he has accustomed to in the past. There is neither a planned ticker tape parade nor a big welcome party for the country?s most popular athlete. There will be no congratulatory remarks, no adoring crowd, no congressional honor or award.
He will still be greeted by a crowd but he will not see the jubilation in their faces. He will be greeted with concern, sympathy and questions of ?Okay ka lang?? (Are you okay?) from family, friends, peers and fans upon his arrival in Manila this morning.
The country?s beloved warrior of the ring will return as a defeated boxer. Defeated in the most brutal and humiliating way that the sports of boxing can at times present.
This might not be his first unsuccessful boxing venture, but this is his biggest loss in the eyes of his fans and countrymen.
Manny Pacquiao endured this devastating defeat not only by himself and his team but by his fans and most especially his countrymen.
They are heartbroken. They are in a state of shock.
But, they are also relieved that their hero is free from any physical danger from that knockout that he suffered last Saturday. Their concerns are alleviated by Pacquiao?s assuring words himself.
They also admire him in the way he took his defeat, in his sportsmanship. The phrase ?gracious in defeat? can never be clearer than the way Pacquiao reacted after his loss. No excuses, no blame, no alibis.
And in spite of the mockery of him fallen and unconscious in the canvass last Saturday that has been surfacing in the internet and the media by people without any class. In spite of the haunting images of that final second of Round number 6 in their minds, they like Pacquiao will move on.
Because that is what Filipinos do, they move on.
Filipinos move on in spite of the many calamities that has struck their country in the past. They move on in spite of the death of their heroes. They move on in the face of everyday poverty and injustice. And they will move on from this.
The real ?Team Pacquiao? are not those who are confined in his inner circles. They are not those who wait for his dole outs and ones that benefit from his popularity.
The real ?Team Pacquiao? are those who draw inspiration from his perseverance and hard work. OFW?s who persevere like him in the hot desert of the Middle East and in the cold winter of North America. Those whose gather twice a year wherever they are in the world to bond together during his fights, a respite from the pangs of homesickness and fatigue.
The real ?Team Pacquiao? are those who are touched by his humility, his kindness, his generosity.
People like the Ilanos, whose five year old son Pacquiao inspired while battling cancer. People like the Banez of California, parents of a teenager whose idolization of Pacquiao gave them joy despite suffering from a rare immunological disease. People like our Paralympic team whom he helped with a little donation of his own when they were turned down by a multinational company before they competed in London.
People like painter Jun Aquino?s kabaranggays who answered his call right away to show their favorite boxer their support in Rizal Park yesterday, knowing that Pacquiao will not arrive to a heroes? welcome that he has accustomed to in the past.
Today, their hero returns. And the real ?Team Pacquiao? will honor him despite his defeat, his humiliation and his failure. They will respect his future decisions in his career and avoid the debate about his personal life that some blame for this defeat.
They will accept him as a person that brought them pride and recognition as a nation.
Because Manny Pacquiao carried their nation in his previous victories, it is now their turn to carry him in his defeat.
Welcome home Manny, welcome home.
You can reach the author at rrmaze24@aol.com.
Painter Jun Aquino organized a small group of supporters and fans at Rizal Park yesterday and showed support of their favorite boxer.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Rich Mazon .
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