Manny Pacquiao. AP
“Magpakatotoo ka…maging Filipino ka (Be true to yourself…be a Filipino).”
This was boxing idol Manny Pacquiao’s message to his Filipino critics, especially those who rooted for Mexican fighter Juan Manuel Marquez during their bout in Las Vegas which resulted in a controversial finish.
But before lobbing this jab at his critics, the Sarangani lawmaker, speaking in Filipino perhaps to avoid being misinterpreted, thanked his countrymen who supported him in the hard-fought contest.
“Salamat sa sambayanang Filipino sa pagsuporta. Sa awa ng Panginoon, nanalo tayo, (I thank the Filipino people for their support. With God’s mercy, we won),” he said at a press conference at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
“Doon sa mga ibang tao na naniniwala na di tama yung desisyon eh, magpakatotoo ka…maging Filipino ka (To those who believe that the decision was wrong, be true to yourself, be a Filipino),” he added.
Pacquiao, who arrived Monday aboard a Philippine Airlines flight from California with a brief stopover in Guam, and his wife Jinkee were welcomed at the airport by their four children Jemuel, Michael, Princess and Queen Elizabeth, and friends including former Manila Mayor Lito Atienza and son Ali.
Asked about the hotly debated fight result in Nevada, Pacquiao admitted he was not totally happy with his performance.
But he concluded, “Ang paniwala ko, bago natapos yung 12 rounds ay lamang ako at panalo ako (I believed that before the 12 rounds were through, I was ahead and I won).”
“’Yung inisip ko na ibigay ko ’yung magandang laban ay di ko nagawa (I was not able to make good my plan to give a good fight),” he added.
“So medyo di masyado akong kumbinsido sa performance ko dahil sa ’yung ini-expect na ibigay ko sa mga tao ay di nangyari ang ganun (So I was not thoroughly convinced about my performance because what I expected to give the people did not happen),” Pacquiao added.
“Eh, talagang ganun (That’s the way it is), he said.
Still pound-for-pound king
“Naintindihan natin na di sa lahat ng panahon ay pwede tayong manalo ng one-sided fight. Tsaka, di pwedeng lahat ng kalaban bubugbugin. May kamay din ’yan. Dumating lang `yun pagkakataon na naging close `yun fight (We can understand that we cannot expect to win a one-sided fight all the time. Our opponents also have fists. It only happened that we had a close fight).”
The General Santos City native said he had yet to see published reports that American boxer Floyd Mayweather had dethroned him as boxing’s pound-for-pound king .
“Di ko alam kung saan lumabas ’yan…Siguro sa ibang tao na di dugong-Pinoy ang nag-iisip ng ganyan, (I don’t know where those reports came from. Maybe they’re from people without Filipino blood who are able to think of such things),” he said.
Pacquiao was reported to have been demoted to No. 2 in the pound-for-pound rankings of the US publication Sports Illustrated, as well as ESPN and Yahoo! Sports. They placed Mayweather in the No. 1 spot after a 21-month layoff and three successive wins over Shane Mosley, Victor Ortiz and Marquez.
But Ring Magazine, called the “Bible of Boxing,” continued to recognize Pacquiao as the best after Sunday’s controversial match.
No comment on Arroyo
Pacquiao said he was going back to work at the House of Representatives. “Balik tayo sa trabaho. Wala pa tayong susunod na laban (We’re returning to work. We don’t have another fight lined up),” he noted.
Asked about the current woes of his former ally, ex-President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Pacquiao declined to comment.
“Mahirap magbigay ng komento sa ganyang mga issue na di natin alam ang mga sitwasyon. Siguro pag-aralan nating mabuti bago tayo magbigay ng pahayag, (It’s difficult to comment on an issue we don’t know enough about. Maybe after we had made a thorough study we could issue a statement),” he added.
Last week, President Benigno Aquino III defended Pacquiao’s victory over Marquez and also asked Filipinos not to take anything away from the ring icon who rose from adversity to become a world champion.
Aquino defends Manny
“Let’s remember where Manny came from, how he shaped himself, how he became a champion and repeatedly became a champion in eight categories,” said the President. “There are people who admire those who just got lucky. Here, we have someone who strove to be where he is now and let’s not take that away from Manny.”
For once, Pacquiao was not feted with a motorcade on his return from a fight. He continued his tradition, however, of hearing Mass at Quiapo Church.
His hometown though is preparing to welcome him with a motorcade and the attendant funfare this week.