MANILA, Philippines—Honestly speaking, Nonoy Occena of Hulo, Mandaluyong, said it was a hopeless bout between a goat and a bull.

The fish vendor with thick brows on a brown, serious face claimed Pacquiao was being plainly foolish.

Awful, he grumbled of Pacquiao’s decision to pick on big Oscar De La Hoya.

This was a full month before the Dec. 7 Dream Match at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

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Just the same, Nonoy decided to put a fat bunch of hard-earned pesos on Pacquiao.

He admitted he was playing it blind.

The bet was more out of patriotism than anything else.

Nonoy was honestly prepared to lose.

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What do you know?

Shortly after lunch on Dec. 7, Nonoy led a band of ecstatic citizens in emptying the village sari-sari (variety) store shelves of local synthetic brandy.

They also feasted on broiled saltwater fish, his specialty, much of which went unsold as neighbors abandoned kitchen chores and waited for results of the Pacquiao-De La Hoya bout.

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A terrific temblor followed Pacquiao’s historic triumph.

The aftershocks of the upheaval caused by the toppling of De La Hoya were felt all over the world.

As a result, Nonoy and company, in a scene that was replicated in countless ecstatic village nooks all over the country, decided to drink and be merry until they could no longer feel nor remember.

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Well, it’s not on his agenda for the year 2008, but the immeasurable thrill Pacquiao brought to his country obviously upturned the poor man’s wine chart.

Toppled from the top of the list in various groceries and sari-sari stores around Metro Manila was the once mighty Emperador Brandy.

It’s not easy to explain how Gran Matador suddenly zoomed to the top in this category.

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Call it plain coincidence but Gran Matador happens to be a product of San Miguel Corp., whose world-famous San Miguel Beer Pacquiao has been endorsing for nearly three years now.

Maybe it’s no coincidence that the Gran Matador takeover came in 2008, the year Pacquiao established himself as the finest boxer on the planet?

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The ratio is now 4-to-1, meaning four Gran Matador against only one Emperador, swears peppery Nick Bruan, a corner-store owner in Barangay Vergara, also in riverside Mandaluyong.

It used to be almost even at the start, Bruan explains, with Emperador, then slightly ahead, starting to lose its grip early last year.

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Yes, there may never be a fool-proof survey on the drinking preferences and habits of the working class.

But Hermana Vallega from Dumaguete, who plans to put up an eatery and mini-grocery in the Fairview area this year, is happily surprised at the big switch to a new favorite.

“Bigla na lang lumakas Gran Matador (Gran Matador simply zoomed),” she explains smiling.

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It’s not Gran Matador all the way.

The lead this new SMC star has established over its rival could also be determined in heaps of empty liquor bottles in the pushcarts of junk buyers all over Metro Manila.

In fact, it used to be silvery Ginebra San Miguel that lorded it over in the pushcarts of junk buyers all over Metro Manila, until the legendary favorite, also known as Marca Demonyo or Stainless, was overtaken by reddish Emperador (MP).

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Anyway, some self-styled experts suggested a myriad reasons behind the toppling of the former leader.

Remember how Bernard Hopkins had bragged that Pacquiao would be taken to school by De La Hoya in one loud claim before the Dream Match?

What took place instead was the shameful unmasking of the overrated De La Hoya.

So: Do simple drinking folks now go with Pacquiao who, just like the top street favorite, packs smooth power and delivers on his promise?

Has the King of Boxing also become the emperor of the boozing road?