WINDOWS
Gabriel L. Cardinoza
 

Manny Pacquiao is home. And for a day, a proud, cheering nation welcomed him with warmth and admiration. For a day, political word wars were put to a halt; and for a day, the people forgot all their troubles and worries.
 
But poor Manny. From the time he disembarked from the Philippine Airlines flight that took him from LA to Manila to the late hours of that Friday night, he was literally tortured, defenselessly taking all the beatings when he was paraded in the streets of Manila and Quezon City and made to appear in before various private audiences, including live television interviews. He might have feigned he enjoyed the limelight because by sundown, in one television show, he was already talking like a broken record – a sure sign that fatigue has set in.

I am amazed and amused at how the competing television giants have taken advantage of Manny’s instant popularity. ABS-CBN’s Dianne Castillejos, for instance, was in the same plane with Manny to make sure she gets the first story. GMA 7, for its part, immediately made Manny Pacquaio wear a GMA jacket and a ball cap when he dropped by the GMA studios in Quezon City during the motorcade.
 
Then, there were short footages of Nyoy and Nina, Gary V and Zsa-zsa, and even megastar Sharon Cuneta declaring Manny as a national hero and even singing a line from Manny’s song, “Ang laban na ‘to ay para sa ‘yo.”
 
In addition, there were news items saying that Malacanang will involve Manny in the campaign for Charter change. Another item even said that the military is contemplating to take Manny to the different military camps to urge soldiers to unite and support the government.
 
More than the his coming home and the big crowd that greeted him, I think the biggest story last Friday was when Manny told President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo that he is going to help the retired Filipino boxers.
 
Manny may have seen his future in Rolando Navarette and Luisito Espinosa, both former boxing champs, who are now fighting their greatest fights for survival. Navarette, the “bad boy from Dadiangas” literally lives now the life of a pauper in Mindanao. Likewise, Espinosa, who is now based in the US, is still fighting despite his age (he must be in his late 40s now), just to keep his status and avoid being deported, and to earn a living.  
 
These two boxers, during their prime, were as wealthy as Manny now. But as they say, money, like water, is very liquid and it won’t be long before one finds out that everything’s gone.
 
Manny’s telling the President of his plan may have been his way of reminding the government that it has to do something now to help its champs that once gave honor and pride to the country. It may have been Manny’s way of telling the President that even those treated national heroes at one time are helpless without any government program to support them. And this is not just true to former boxers, but even to other athletes.
 
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At the height of the national euphoria on Manny Pacquiao’s winning against Mexican Erik Morales by knock out last Sunday, Archbishop Oscar V. Cruz, archbishop of the Lingayen-Dagupan archdiocese, wrote:
 
“It is great to have champions. It is good to have a quiet day or two to celebrate living heroes. But over and above everything else it is the imperative of moral ascendancy on those who govern — something which is the least that those governed expect at the end of the day.”
 
We say amen.