Our failure to harness the Pacquiao effect

We are all proud of Manny Pacquiao, but how has this empowered us? Crime and insurgency grind to a halt when Manny is fighting, and even Justin Bieber needs to have his photo taken with Manny. But how many of us tell ourselves that Manny’s spectacular rise from poverty means that any Filipino can be a global superstar in his chosen sphere?

I welcome how Manny has affected perceptions of Filipinos. As a child, when I identified myself as Filipino abroad, I would draw a joke about Imelda Marcos and her shoe collection. Today, I am good-naturedly asked if I can get Manny’s autograph. Traveling through Mexico, one hears people singing praises for our Mexicutioner, sincerely applauding how Manny makes the sign of the cross in the ring.

Singapore hosts 7.5 percent of the world’s overseas Filipino workers, a majority of them professionals. Volunteers for the Philippine Embassy have always organized a large Independence Day celebration in a park or mall. This year, a University of Santo Tomas architect, Rychie Andres, had the inspired idea to hold it in front of Takashimaya, a mall in the middle of Singapore’s main street, Orchard Road. The event’s Facebook page was inundated by angry denouncements of an infestation of vermin and cockroaches, and organizers received anonymous harassment calls. Singapore’s prime minister denounced the “thuggish behavior” by a “few trolls” as a “disgrace to Singapore.”

Singapore has rapidly transformed into a global city and, in a complex, emotional dilemma, many citizens find themselves uneasy with the many foreigners and rising prices. Some Singaporean friends confided they think Filipinos should celebrate in the embassy or a more secluded park. I asked why it is different when Americans celebrate the Fourth of July complete with fireworks, and the Irish held a three-day St. Patrick’s Day celebration in the financial center complete with bagpipes. They did not want to say that their knee-jerk mental image of a Filipino event is a noisy, unruly mob that does not clean up after itself.

Filipino friends privately took great offense and were shocked given multiethnic Singapore’s hard line on racism. Some wondered if the venue was prudent given the anti-“foreign talent” sentiment. Anonymous commenters on PinoySG.com were more candid. One said the celebration is sure to be another baduy (tacky) variety show or noisy perya (country fair). Another thought it was a moneymaking gimmick, so sponsors and booths can benefit from a high-traffic area. Still another said OFWs never cared about Independence Day except as a day off, so why care when abroad?

I know how thankless organizing the Independence Day celebration is. I was president of the University of the Philippines Alumni Association (Singapore) in 2012, and we contributed a series of professional talks by OFWs from Unilever, Hewlett-Packard, IBM and Cisco. However, the then head organizer refused to sign a simple memo documenting financial responsibilities. Since we were asked to pay for expenses we never agreed to, UPAAS sent the embassy a formal statement disaffiliating from the official celebration. Although I have heard of Rychie’s excellent reputation, such examples of disorganization discourage some of the most talented OFWs from contributing, particularly managers and marketers in banks and multinational corporations, which hampers such volunteer projects.

I wonder if OFWs nurse some self-doubt on whether an Orchard Road celebration is legitimate. In 2012, we continued our “Oblation Talks” separately in a packed university auditorium, and the gathered professionals clearly needed the inspiration from OFWs who were at the peak of their careers. I heard anecdotes about how OFWs in industries from oil to education are talented enough to reach middle management, but more reserved and hesitant to network than counterparts from other countries to move higher. At the end of the talks, I stood by the door to thank people for coming but most walked right past me, not thinking to linger and talk to other professionals who had turned up.

Deep pride, I would like to think, enables us to truly think big and think past our borders. Beyond Manny, we UP OFWs thought to organize “Oblation Talks” inspired by how the CEO of Credit Suisse Singapore is not Swiss and the CEO of the Bank of Singapore is not Singaporean.

One wonders how much further we should be dreaming as a people. We take pride in our music but our best bands have not captured English-speaking audiences abroad. Despite having Coldplay and Iron Maiden in Singapore, I looked forward most to visits by Filipino bands. I have seen OFW audiences all but boo the band performing before Wolfgang off a stage and once saw Tirso Ripoll realize his mortality when an OFW ran to him, children in tow, gushing about how he has loyally watched Razorback since he was in high school.

One wonders how we should consciously be projecting ourselves as a people. Former consul general Neal Imperial, for example, organized an innovative ArtTrek that showcased Filipino painters exhibiting in Singapore each October. We can go well beyond the President having to issue a statement each time a Fil-Am leaves American Idol and overreacting over the depictions of Manila’s garbage in “Pacific Rim” and “The Bourne Legacy.” Indeed, we can stop raising our own eyebrows at an Orchard Road Independence Day celebration.

The next time we watch Manny fight, we should internalize that we are not applauding for him, we are applauding with him. And if you ever meet Rychie Andres in Singapore, you should buy him a drink.

Oscar Franklin Tan (@oscarfbtan, facebook.com/OscarFranklinTan) previously worked in the Singapore office of one of the world’s largest law firms.