Manny Pacquiao’s controversial win over his nemesis Juan Manuel Marquez is now the talk of the world, or more specifically the international sporting community.
Mixed reactions ranged from “ It should have been a draw…. to Marquez won the fight..that Manny has lost his fighting form and
was not the same fighter who dumped opponents like Hatton, Cotto, and Margarito in spectacular power and fashion.
Last November 12, many said Manny did not show up.
His timing was off, the devastating left hand was nowhere in sight and his punches lack the vaunted power that knocked off and
demolished the likes of boxing greats like Oscar de la Hoya.
Yes Manny Pacquiao won again but it might have been a PYRRHIC victory, meaning a triumph that was empty, or costly in terms of causing more harm than luster to his latest feat.
Simply put, even among his Filipino fans and compatriots, his majority win was not as convincing as his previous fights, casting doubts whether he really won this trilogy of his duel with the
Mexican warrior that was Marquez.
But as in all great champions, there are opponents who are a lump in your throat. As we say in tagalog, “Tinik o bara sa lalamunan “
Or as gamblers would say, “kontrapelo “, or a counterfoil like
in the case of boxing great Muhammad Ali whose “kontrapelo “ was the late recently departed Joe “Smoking Joe “ Frazier who was the only man to have knockdown Ali in his glorious career.
As it is, Marquez won the admiration of even Filipinos for his gallant and well prepared stand against his arch rival who beat him
twice in their past meetings.
Even his trainer, hall of famer Freddie Roach, admitted that Marquez had fought a good fight .
“ He (Marquez) had Manny’s number “he said vowing to go back to the drawing boards to plot a new strategy in case a fourth fight
materializes and it looks it would.
But..a win is a win . And Pacquiao remains as a source of national pride among Filipinos whose international fame put the Philippines
in the global map.
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NATIONAL ENVIRO-TREASURE AND GLOBAL WONDER:
Almost lost in the hype of the Pacquiao-Marquez fight was another
big win for the Philippines.
Palawan’s Puerto Princesa Underground River (PPUR) was declared as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World on November 12 , which made it a double celebration for the Philippines in the global stage .
The declaration of the famous Palawan environmental and tourist
attraction culminates a four year campaign and global voting that saw at least 100 million people polling for the Top seven Wonders of the World among them the Great Wall of China and the Taj Mahal.
More than 400 sites or locations around the world were nominated but this was cut down to a short list of 77 locations and then to 28 sites.
Finally, the winning top seven included the Amazon of Brazil, Halong Bay of Vietnam, Iguazu Falls of Argentina and Brazil, Jeju Island of South Korea, Komodo of Indonesia, Puerto Princesa Underground River of the Philippines and
Table Mountain of South Africa.
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NATIONAL SHAME:GLOBAL EMBARRASSMENT: A recent
Cable News Network (CNN) survey said the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) is ranked as the “5th Most hated airport “ in the world.
It said, the airport is outdated “stucked in the 1970’s “ with filthy restrooms and “an amazing race style check-in routine spiked
with bureaucracy “ .
In past issues, I have written about the state of this premier
Airport which in the 1970s was one of the best and modern in Southeast Asia but as time went on , it deteriorated due to
unprofessionalism and politics.
Administration of the country’s airports was dictated by who is in power at that time and more often than not, those appointed to man the facilities are neither career men with knowledge of airport or airlines operations and management but rather political protégées.
As it is, even simple things like toilet papers in restrooms (which is sadly lacking or worse none at all) is non-existent. In one of my trips back home, I had to shell out at least $1 to avail of such luxury.
For instance, where in the world do you find multi-million modern malls where one has to buy a packet of toilet paper just to use their restrooms (comfort rooms or CRs) .Only in the Philippines !
The famous Filipino hospitality. our very friendly attitude to foreigners and visitors , white sand beaches and breathtaking
sceneries will mean nothing if we don’t take care of the most basic
amenities .
The state of our port of entry facilities such as airports represents
what kind of people we are. Its where the first and last impression
of a country is etched among visitors and tourists alike.
Will the NAIA remain a national shame and a global embarrassment?
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MILESTONES AND EVENTS: Felicitations to November birthday celebrants, Ace Alvarez of Front Page Philippines,
Amor Gaborno of Libretto, my only daughter Anagaile O.Soriano
and sis in law Blanche Soriano. Also to master Jared G. Soriano, son of Glenn and Marian Soriano.
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