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Riven by discord and disaster, Pinoys united by Pacman


Wrenched away from their homes by a threatening volcano, evacuees in Sorsogon are jittery: They still don't know how they will watch the Pacquiao-Margarito fight Sunday in their temporary shelters. The impending eruption of Mount Bulusan be damned! “Iba ang puputok bukas — ang mukha ni Margarito (Something else will explode tomorrow — Margarito's face)," said Roberto Dolende, one of the almost 200 local residents brought to evacuation centers in the province after the volcano spewed ash thrice this week. Filipinos across the country and throughout the world are setting aside nearly everything — work, fears of calamity and even a decades-old armed conflict — to rally behind boxing champion Manny Pacquiao, who is set to face off with Mexican-American boxer Antonio Margarito in Texas on Saturday night (Sunday morning Philippine time).
As of 8 a.m. Saturday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) has retained Alert Level 1 over Mt. Bulusan, and continued to advise residents to stay away from the four-kilometer permanent danger zone from the volcano’s summit. (See: Mt. Bulusan spews ash anew, Phivolcs says) But danger today has given way to an impending eruption of joy with an expected eighth boxing title for Manny Pacquiao. Pacquiao, dubbed the world’s number one pound-for-pound boxer, will battle it out with Margarito on Sunday at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas for the World Boxing Council’s super welterweight title. (See: Pacquiao fights Margarito for eighth title) The Filipino boxer called “Pacman" by the world’s media was also elected last May as a member of the Lower House representing Sarangani province, leading to speculation that he may be nearing the end of a storied sports career. The bigger, slower Margarito is not expected to be much of a match for the nimbler Pacquiao. Soldiers, rebels drop guns for Pacman An official of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said that a Pacquiao fight is usually an unofficial signal for a truce between government troops and rebels. “We don’t declare a ceasefire, pero [but] usually, ganoon ang nangyayari kapag may laban si Pacquiao [that’s what happens when Pacquiao fights]," AFP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Jose Mabanta told GMANews.TV in a phone interview on Saturday night. “The whole nation, regardless of ideology, unites to cheer and express support for Pacquiao," he said. Mabanta likewise said that there will be a free screening of the Pacquiao-Margarito fight at the AFP headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City. Pacquiao also holds the rank of senior master sergeant in the Philippine Army’s reserve force. Criminals and prisoners too Police authorities have noted that whenever Pacquiao fights, crime incidence significantly dips in many areas. Some places even reportedly register "zero crime rates" during the fight itself, as criminal elements presumably stay put to watch the fight on television. Even jail inmates expressed excitement and support for their boxing hero, according to a GMA News “24-Oras" report aired on Friday.
One prisoner interviewed by GMA News’ Michael Fajatin said he is definitely for Pacquiao because the Pambansang Kamao (“national fist," one of Pacquiao’s many informal titles) always brings honor to the country. Asked by Fajatin, “Kung mananalo si Manny, magbabagong-buhay ka ba (If Manny wins, will you change your ways?)," the prisoner — who said he is in jail for drugs — gamely replied, “Oo, magbabagong-buhay ako (Yes, I’ll change my ways)." Asked again how prisoners can watch the fight when there’s no television set in their cells, the inmate said in half-jest: “Gusto ko na ngang tumakas, sir, e. Para mapanood si Pacquiao." (In fact, I want to escape right now, just to watch Pacquiao’s fight.) Hometown all geared up In General Santos City, Pacquiao’s hometown in southern Mindanao, the city’s gymnasium, where the bout will be screened for free, is expected to be filled with 12,000 people cheering for Pacquiao, according to another GMA News report. Pacquiao’s father, Rosaleo, said he is overwhelmed by the public’s support for his son. He likewise said that he believes Sunday’s fight will not be the last time Filipinos will see his son in the boxing ring. “Naisip ko na mayroon pang pangalawang laban. ‘Yung kay [Floyd] Mayweather Jr. na ang susunod diyan," he said. (I think there will be a next fight. The one with Floyd Mayweather Jr. will follow this one.) Following the fight live Free and pay-per-view screenings of the Pacquiao-Margarito fight will be held across the country on Sunday, from the province of Ilocos Norte up north to Koronadal City in South Cotabato down south. In Manila alone, the city government has readied six venues where a live telecast of the fight will be shown for free on Sunday morning: at the Tondo Sports Complex; Patricia Sports Complex also in Tondo; Rasac Covered Court in Sta. Cruz; Dapitan Sports Complex in Sampaloc; San Andres Sports Complex in Malate; and Teresa Covered Court in Sta. Mesa. (See: Manila readies six venues for free screening of Pacquiao fight) In many rural hinterlands not reached by television signals or electricity, farmers, fisherfolk and even communist guerrillas have been known to pause from their work during Pacquiao fights. They cluster around battery-operated AM radios, and listen to the blow-by-blow broadcast. Overseas Filipino workers have a different kind of dilemma, however. Among an estimated 10 million Filipinos spread across all 24 time zones of the world, many Pacquiao fans are determined to watch the fight live but realize that Saturday night in Texas will coincide with work hours in their time zones. To Emman Mamales and his fellow OFWs working in Dubai, the solution is straightforward enough, and typically Filipino: “Kami dito sa UAE [United Arab Emirates] aabsent bukas sa trabaho para manood ng laban ni Manny. [Sasabihin sa] medical certificate, kasi mayroon kaming Pacman fever." (We here in the UAE will skip work tomorrow to watch Manny’s fight. We’ll say in the medical certificate that we were downed by Pacman fever.)—With Jun Verzola/HS, GMANews.TV

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