JAKARTA, Indonesia – President Benigno Aquino III wished multiple-weight division world champion Manny Pacquiao well on the eve of his welterweight title defense against American Shane Mosley.
“I hope he’d be safe; that he won’t get hurt,” Mr. Aquino told reporters on Saturday night when asked about his message to the boxer and Saranggani congressman.
President Aquino, nonetheless, said he previously advised Pacquiao about considering retirement.
Even with Pacquiao’s string of victories from one weight division to another, Mr. Aquino said the punches the Filipino boxer has received would somehow take their toll on his body.
“He only nods,” President Aquino said of Pacquiao’s reaction.
President Aquino said it should be up to the Filipino people, not just on one champion like Pacquiao to uplift the national spirit.
“The emphasis here is that we shouldn’t rely on one person or one superman to carry us. We should all be carrying ourselves.
Mr. Aquino indicated that when there’s one hero taking on the burden of national pride, the people tend to depend entirely on that one person.
“That’s not right. That’s the essence of it. Manny shouldn’t feel that it’s his responsibility to lift the morale of all Filipinos,” President Aquino said.
President Aquino won’t be able to watch the fight as he would attend on Sunday morning the Asean retreat with other leaders on the second day of the leaders’ summit.
Pacquiao’s fight would happen around the same time or Saturday evening in Las Vegas.