At the opening by the Israeli embassy of the pictorial exhibition of famed Israeli art photographer Leodnid Padrul at the Metropolitan Museum the other evening, showing beautiful photographs of biblical Israel sans computer manipulation, Italian Ambassador Rubens Ana Fedele whispered to me with a naughty smile on his face, ?I see you?re going to have a new president.? Sure, I said to him, in 2010. It then occurred to me that the envoy was referring to boxing champ Manny Pacquiao who has just formed his People?s Champ Movement which plans to field, at least at the outset, candidates in Southeastern Mindanao. My daughter Christine, who publishes TraveLife Magazine, also said Peninsula Hotel general manager Jonathan Crook also expressed the same speculation to her.
Many people, including politicians, believe that Pacquiao will throw his hat into the political ring as congressional candidate to represent Sarangani, the province of his wife, and ultimately target the presidency. While it?s generally conceded that he?ll win the local political fight handily, his possible entry into politics has immediately divided the nation. Many people, reportedly including Malacañang officials, sought to discourage him from, as Akbayan party-list Rep. Risa Baraquel put it, ?getting dirtied by politics,? advising him to stick to boxing while he?s at his fighting best. But there are also those, such as Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Teodoro Casiño, who think Pacman could do a good job as a politician, if he displays the same incredible focus and discipline he showed in training for his fight against British boxer Ricky Hatton.
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Earlier I expressed the hope that while he?s the undefeated champ, Pacquiao will hang up his gloves so he doesn?t spoil the legend of the greatest boxer ever. But should he decide to enter politics, I personally feel that the champ, who still has to finish his college degree through distance learning after having been accelerated in his high school studies by the Department of Education, can do a relatively good job as a member of the House, since it largely involves taking care of his constituents? needs, where he can combine philanthropy using his vast personal fortune with political acumen. Moreover, Pacquiao can tackle legislative work with reasonable ability, if the mediocre performance of many in the current House membership is to be the benchmark. On the other hand, if so many actors made it to the Senate, why not a champion boxer? But Pacquiao for president? With the super-tough job of chief executive in these times of global crises, much much more than a distance-learning degree is called for. In fact, very few professed candidates really qualify for this post.
Pacquiao, the prospective politician, can cite a precedent in American basketball legend Dave Bing, 60, who won 52 percent of the votes in the recent election for mayor of Detroit, Michigan. Bing, a Hall of Famer in the 1990s who later founded his own successful Bing Steel Co., will serve the remainder of the 2009 term of former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, who resigned last September after admitting he lied during a civil trial to cover up his affair with his chief of staff. Bing, a Democrat, can run again for a four-year term in 2010.
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Did singer Martin Nievera violate the law by singing the National Anthem at the opening of the Pacquiao-Hatton ?as though it were the last song I would sing,? as he put it? Did he err by restoring it to its real martial beat, as composer Julian Felipe had intended it to be, and lifting his voice to the rafters to dramatize the ?ang mamatay ng dahil sayo? ending? I didn?t think so. Martin started on a slow beat, then increased the tempo but still stuck to the melody, and only at the very end did he let his voice soar. He did a good job, and in fact Welsh singer Tom Jones also did some revision with ?God Save the Queen.? I recall how American blues singer Aretha Franklin also stylized the ?Star Spangled Banner? somewhat during President Barack Obama?s inauguration. I also recall the unforgettable occasion when as student at the University of the Philippines, I heard the great American contralto Marian Anderson render the US anthem in such a stirring, if somewhat stylized, way at the UP gym.
I realize that the National Historical Institute has grounds to be nervous with some renditions of our anthem, even by government office chorales. But Nievera obviously was conscious of the criticism reaped by a previous singer in one of Pacquiao?s fights in Las Vegas, so he hewed close to the original melody, except for the martial beat, which is how it should be. In fact it?s relevant to note how many here have a tendency to sing the anthem in a slow, uninspired manner, which is a disservice to Julian Felipe.
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As in any grand event, scalpers had a field day during the Pacquiao-Hatton fight. What?s worse was that many of those who bought tickets outside the box office were sold fake tickets. In previous Pacquiao fights, fans were able to buy tickets in the box office on the day itself, but for this one, because of the incredible publicity build-up, tickets were sold out 10 days before the fight. What many fans of both fighters, especially some of the 10,000 British fans who flew from Hatton?s native Manchester, did was to buy tickets from what looked like African-American street sellers in the vicinity of the MGM Grand that morning. Some Filipino fans I spoke to paid discounted prices of $450 each, and got through the entrance, but when their tickets were scanned, they were found to be fake. One Pinoy related that in the gate he used, he was told that more than 300 fans were victimized. A visiting Filipino couple, stuck with the fakes, rushed back to their hotel to catch the fight, only to miss it entirely as it was over in the second round.
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Don?t miss Pasinaya 2009 festival at Bel-Air Village Park3, which opens Friday morning up to Sunday evening May 10. Enjoy the 3-day variety bazaar, many food stalls for which Bel-Air is famous for, art, car, comedy and fashion shows, rides etc. The public is cordially invited.
