“He waltzed through interviews with his usual canned responses of doing his best for his countrymen and fighting hard enough to cement his legacy.” – Philippine Daily Inquirer, Las Vegas: 3 days before the Pacquiao-Cotto fight.

Picture this: You are a Filipino caregiver in New York. Walking your way home through the busy streets – feeling so isolated from this sea of foreign strangers – you suddenly spot a familiar figure … and it’s no other than our Pambansang Kamao, Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao! So, even as short-legged as you are, you rush towards your kababayan and somehow relieve that sense of alienation. You squeeze in the ecstatic mob and gaze upon your idol; he waves his powerful hand at everyone sending all to flash big, wide smiles at this legendary Filipino. Then, after the world’s reigning pound-for-pound king turns his back from the crowd – of which you think that you finally belong to– they are they again, and you are you; the smile that was there earlier is now gone… well, actually, it’s gone for you; because you’re not like them or needless to say, because you’re a Filipino.

This is what Emmanuel “Manny” Dapidran Pacquiao wants to change.

He wants other Filipinos, like him - wherever they may be on this planet - receive the same respect that he gets from anyone and everyone in the world. Respect. Yes, respect! Respect for our race, our culture, us Filipinos.

Why do you think he keeps on fighting? And with the fights, upon God’s grace, he keeps on winning? And after winning, he never loses that flare of the fighting-winning mindset in him? So he goes on with his battles, the very battles he said he is fighting for us – the people whom he loves and cares about.

Manny – Once upon a time

Never forget that once, the Manny Pacquiao the world knows so well of today was just an unrecognized Filipino small-time boxer, whose name was always mispronounced by foreign HBO TV announcers – the matter which was only corrected when Pacman defeated Marco Antonio Barrera, considered as one of the best boxers in the world.

How, do you think, Pacquiao managed to survive in America during that time when he couldn’t yet even speak straight Tagalog?

With that in mind, take a look at this:

“Good morning, good afternoon and good evening to all of my fans, friends and all those who read this column, wherever you may be. I hope all of you are fine, healthy and happy. If you are going to ask me how I am, I think I am quite ready to fight next week although there are still three more weeks and a lot of work to do before I step into the ring.”

Unbelievable though as it may sound, it was Manny Pacquiao who wrote this in his column Kumbinasyon at PhilBoxing.com. He admits that even he, himself laughs at the idea that he wrote something in English.

“Napapangiti ako habang sinusulat ko ang pagbati sa inyong lahat dahil ngayon ko lang sinimulan sa wikang Ingles ang aking column. Naalala ko kasi ulit ang aking pinanggalingan, at kung gaano na kalayo ang aking narating mula noong sumakay ako sa isang barko patungong Maynila noong ako ay bata pa. Musmos, gutom, walang pera, walang muwang sa buhay at mundo at ni hindi nga ako marunong magsalita ng Tagalog noon. Lakas ng loob lang at tiwala sa Panginoon ang aking armas. Likewise, I could even hardly speak English back then,” he added.

Meanwhile, regarding the importance of respect for Manny, he related:

“…Naaalala ko pa, noong mga unang laban ko sa US, kailangan pa na may kasamang interpreter para lang maitawid ko ang aking mensahe at sagot. Ngayon, hindi naman sa pagmamayabang, nakakasagot na rin akong mag-isa kahit na minsan ay nagkakamali pa rin. Gayunpaman, lubos din ang tuwa at respeto ng mga banyagang manunulat dahil nakikita nila ang aking improvement mula noong naging kampeon ako ng IBF super-bantamweight division higit sa walong taon na ang nakakaraan hanggang ngayon.”

Beyond money, fame and the ring

Three days before his fight with Puerto Rico’s pride Miguel Cotto on November 14, Manny expressed to worldwide press that he holds nothing personal against his contender.

“I’m just doing my job to try and make people happy,” he said.

This is what he always point out in interviews, “…to try and make people happy.” For him, the people he would truly want to make happy is no other than us, his kapwa Pilipino whom he believes so much in, as much as we – and the rest of the world – believe in him.

In the wake of the recent typhoons that slammed the nation, Manny poured out his sentiments for those who were gravely affected. His coach, Freddie Roach, said that he did not want the fighter to see those he vowed to help in person because he might get very depressed. But Manny is a fighter; so he managed to train well and to help others at the same time.

In another article in “Kumbinasyon”, he expressed his faith on his countrymen:

“Tiwala ako sa Pilipino, sa ating katatagan at kakayahan na suungin ang mga pagsubok ng buhay. Malaki ang aking paniniwala na ang mga bagay na ating hinaharap ay pansamantala lang. Alam kong walang bagyo o kalaban ang makakapagpatumba sa magiting na Pilipino at asahan ninyo, palagi ako sa inyong mga tabi upang maibigay ko ang kahit na maliit na tulong na nagmumula sa aking puso. Sa labang ito, kayong lahat ang aking inspirasyon. Let us continue to pray for each and everyone.”

And if you’re a Filipino who’s reading this, wouldn’t you nod your head in agreement to Pacquiao?

The Filipinos are found everywhere in the world, not because we are welcome there, but because can survive through every barricade that’s blocking our way.

The Philippine ring icon fought and is still fighting not for the money, not for the fame, but for the principles that inside a hero’s heart, not in the squared battle ring. And the only way he could continue winning is for him to continue believing.

Let’s help Manny believe

Only one day is left before the record-breaking night in boxing history for our prized Manny.

Cotto is right about one thing about fight night: “Once the fight starts, there is only going to be me, Manny and the referee. No one else will be there in the ring. Nobody can help Manny or give him something to hit me with.”

We can never control what will happen next inside the ring.

Alwyn Cosgrove, a popular training coach, once said, “The winner and the loser feel exactly the same in a fight. It's what they do that makes them different.

There's a point in every fight when a fighter takes a step backward and takes a big breath and you see the doubt in his eye. He starts to realize that he bit off more than he could chew, and he questions what he's doing here and how he can get out. And then it's all over. I've got you. You're done.”

The mind of a fighter gets motivated in different ways, and in the case of Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao, he gets that motivation from us, his countrymen:  “Sa labang ito, kayong lahat ang aking inspirasyon”.