Manny Pacquiao is knocked down in the third round while taking on Juan Manuel Marquez during their welterweight bout at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on December 8, 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada. AFP
Take it from another action hero who has taken a lot of falls, mostly from a horse.
Sen. Manuel “Lito” Lapid on Monday reminded Manny Pacquiao that plot lines sometimes allowed the hero to be defeated so he would have a chance to redeem himself in another fight.
“That’s really what a hero is like. Sometimes he falls so the people would see how he comes back and stands up again,” said the senator, a popular action star who portrayed cowboy and other macho roles before joining politics.
Lapid’s remarks were spurred by Pacquiao’s shocking defeat in the hands of Mexican boxer Juan Manuel Marquez in Las Vegas.
Lapid, who gained fame portraying the rural hero Leon Guerrero and outlaw Ben Tumbling in films, said action movies would always include a scene where the lead actor is “pushed down,” giving him a chance to pull himself back up and “avenge his defeat.”
The senator said Pacquiao could also take his defeat as a sign that God was telling him to listen to his mom and leave boxing altogether.
“He can finally focus on politics and on serving the people because he is sure to win and he is equally well loved,” Lapid said of the Sarangani congressman.
Lapid scoffed at Pacquiao’s detractors, saying the boxer’s glory days in the sport should be enough to overshadow his latest loss.
“That is just one defeat compared with the great honor he gave our country, which became widely known because of his special skills in boxing,” Lapid said.
Malacañang, too, is confident Pacquiao will recover from his loss to Marquez but says it’s up to him whether to continue boxing.
“It was totally unexpected. We were very confident that Manny Pacquiao would conquer Mr. Marquez … But he lost with dignity and with grace,” presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said.
Lacierda, who like President Aquino failed to catch the fight on TV, believed Pacquiao would recover from the loss.
“We leave it to him whether he wants to go for another fight. But whatever decision he takes, we will support, and we commend his conduct, his attitude even while in defeat,” he said.