INQUIRER Sports

HONG KONG—I happened to be in the former British territory recently when three storms lashed out simultaneously.

The first one was the brewing kind, the one that gathers the elements swiftly or slowly. If it can whip up enough strength, it can affect lives with its airborne danger.

Hong Kong was trying to avoid a repeat of its unfamiliarity with how human disease could spread by quarantining a hotel where a confirmed swine flu patient had stayed.

All around town, the surgical mask was a common sight, hardly a fashion statement in a town where chic is in. There was an alert even in Macau as visitors and residents alike were required to submit a piece of paper outlining their latest travels.

It was not panic city, mind you, as the virus did not spread in this dense place. As long as you are conscious of proper hygiene and drink your vitamins, you can put up a relatively good shield.

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The second one was a rather common occurrence in the Philippines. A storm lashing across Southern Luzon is part of life, but dealing with the devastation it leaves behind is never easy. Seeing the CNN weather update, I sensed that on the way home on Monday, some turbulence was going to rock the flight.

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The third storm erupted in Las Vegas and spread swiftly throughout the world. Manny Pacquiao unleashed his vaunted power on a seemingly rock-strong Ricky Hatton at the MGM Grand. Again, Pacquiao displayed that no one can really prepare to avoid or absorb his power. Once you are in the ring with him, you are on your own.

On Thursday night on Canton Road, Filipinos looking for food or shops were asking me if I was going to Las Vegas. Hong Kong is not the usual stopover for a flight to Vegas because the PAL flight that stops in Vancouver before proceeding to Vegas is more convenient. There was an air of expectation about Pacman, and the disappointment that we would all not see the fight.

Hong Kong is not a boxing country. Its sports are soccer, rugby, cricket, horseracing and other games that were introduced by the British. There would be no free TV or even pay-per-view access to the fight. All of us would probably find out the result at the same time through SMS or CNN.

Around 2 p.m. Sunday, my three sons Martin, Yoyo and Louie logged on to the ESPN website in a café in the middle of the sports section of Harbour City Mall in Tsim Sha Tsui. The news jumped out at them—Pacquiao stopped Hatton in the second round.

We rushed to our hotel to see if CNN or the BBC had the story or even footage of the huge win. There were still photos from the fight and it was obvious that broadcast rights had prohibited liberal use of video highlights. CNN interviewed boxing guru Bert Sugar who proudly declared Pacquiao as one of the best.

Nevertheless, CNN showed footage of the thunderous left in the second round that floored Hatton for good. It was a wily piece of production as they actually showed a video screen displaying the winning moment and then panning to hundreds of Filipinos whooping it up. BBC and Skynews carried the story but with Hatton as the fare, quite understandable as Hatton is a Briton.

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The storm continued the next day. Pacquiao was the subject in TalkAsia, the CNN show that puts the spotlight on Asian achievers. It was clear that the conversation was recorded before the Hatton fight and Pacman looked calm, even playful, during the interview.

A delightful piece where Pacquiao fearlessly answered the questions of host Anjali Rao in English, it revealed a man aware of who he is and what role he plays. It’s his smile, though, that disarms and makes you wonder if this achiever is really such a feared warrior among his peers.

Pacquiao is a Filipino hero for this wired world and our era. His achievements are on the Web, the cable channels, print media and even wireless format—a storm difficult to ignore no matter where you are in the world.