In General Santos City, where Manny Pacquaio hails, the celebrated boxer is part of the daily dish. Even during the Christmas and New Year holiday season, he was still the main course, following entrées consisting of updates on the “special treatment” of the Ampatuans detained in Camp Lira and the aftermath of the Christmas eve fireworks/firecracker explosion that razed a row of shops and killed three people. Well, what could possibly go wrong when an idiot decides to “test” a firecracker, just meters away from the fireworks/firecracker shops? My brother, who lived two blocks away, said he felt the earth shake after hearing a thunderous blast that lasted for several minutes. But I digress…as I often do.
I don’t know about you, but getting a daily dose of Manny Pacquiao news is unduly and excessively torturous. We already know that he is the world’s best pound-for-pound boxer and that he holds the record for being the first boxer to win seven world championships in seven different weight divisions. Oh, and one other thing that we all know: his dogged, or should I say, foolhardy pursuit of a congressional seat (comments reserved for another blog). Do we then need to know what morsels he munched for the Christmas noche buena, what his wife’s wish is for the upcoming year (most likely, it has to do with him ceasing his ‘alleged’ womanizing) or what his mother will wear for the New Year celebrations (yes, Mommy Dionesia prefers Natasha over those designer labels). Really, does anyone give a scream?
And then there are the gazillion ads. Pain reliever. Anti-dandruff shampoo. Liquor. Beer. Ice cream. Vinegar. Car battery. Telecommunications company. Artificial food seasoning. Between ‘polling her’ and highland roasted legumes, we are besieged, barraged and bombarded by images and contrived spiels of the famed pugilist, along with his candidly hilarious mother. Whether the same success that Manny Pacquaio enjoys in the world of boxing translates into his product endorsements, is a question that advertisers and sales people need to confirm. I think not, but that’s an opinion borne out of speculation than actual product sales computation. Well, if there is one major indicator that not everyone is buying into the Manny-mania, it’s none other than his monumental flop of a movie, “Wapakman”. Yup, he got whipped in the tills by the veteran top-grossers. Not surprisingly, his co-stars attribute it as a fallout possibly caused by the “extra-marital” scandal he was embroiled in, ironically, with a woman who played one of his nemeses in the film.
It does not take that much imagination to realize the omnipresence of the Pacquiao brand. And yet, there are many people I talk to (mainly friends and long timers in Gensan) who are not amused with this Manny-mania, especially, his foray into local politics. Is it the headiness of fame and wealth that makes him think he can do anything? Has he taken his role as Nike endorser to heart by, ‘just doing it’?
We are suckers for stories of the lowly becoming triumphant, of underdogs overcoming their wretched existence, of prodigal sons returning to the fold.
But that’s not the reason why I spent an entire afternoon, doing a ‘tour of Pacquiao’, with my friend, Tet. I simply wanted to comprehend the breadth and expanse of his economic empire, resulting from his multi-million dollar wins of international boxing bouts.
If there’s one good thing he did, it was to invest some of his earnings in Gensan. He owns several buildings, which house his coffee-shop franchise, his wife’s “fashion” store -- imaginatively named “Jinkee’s Fashion World” (roll eyes), and a digital printing shop. He owns a billiards bar, which is becoming “the place to be” and which also happens to be one of his favorite haunts. The day we dropped by, which was a New Year’s day afternoon, the guard told us he had just left, at around 12 noon). He also owns a sports store, called “Team Pacquaio”, which sells sports items such as shirts, boxing shorts, gym bags, boxing gloves, and wristbands, among others. There are also DVDs of his fights and novelty items such as planners, key chains, and buttons. He also operates water refilling stations and convenience stores. After scouring the city of his establishments, we hied off to see his lowly beginnings in Brgy. Labangal. A modest house, which is still under construction, stands in place. It is a far cry from the multi-million mansion in another section of the city, where he now resides.
Our tour of Pacquiao culminated in Super Pacman Farms, which was showcased a few years ago for its organic vegetables. Well, there were no broccoli and carrots in sight. Instead, we found rows and rows of fighting cocks sandwiched by mango trees. Surprisingly, the farm is almost bereft of human presence. An image of his championship belt forms the arch of the main gate. A friendly guard ushered us in and left us alone to “desecrate” Galleria Emmanuel, the mini-museum containing some of his boxing memorabilia, photos and sculptures. Well, ahem, we only “rearranged” a painting because it did not make a good background for a picture shot I was taking.
I have a fairly good conjecture that Manny Paquiao’s next fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. (if it materializes) will further amplify the already mad, Manny-mania. Even if he says that he’d rather win in the upcoming congressional elections. Even if his mother insists, “I don’t want Manny to fight with Weather.” Oo nga, naman. Lalabanan mo ba ang panahon?
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