Manny Pacquiao Is a Boxing Icon -- Should He Be More?

The boxer Manny Pacquiao has become the Muhammad Ali of the Philippines. Because of his fame, many would like to see him run for office. The writer thinks that's a bad idea.

New America Media, Commentary, Charrisse Domingo, Aug 01, 2006

SAN JOSE, Calif.--As a boxer, Manny Pacquiao single-handedly achieved what no Philippine government has ever done for the country: He cut the crime rate to zero, at least during a match.

For as long as I can remember, the political and cultural life of my country has been troubled. It seems as if there's a coup attempt on the government every six months or so. But when Manny Pacquiao fights, the entire country literally stops what it is doing and watches. Sunday masses are empty, Manila traffic is decongested and there's a temporary ceasefire between the rebel and government factions. President Arroyo even cuts off meetings so she can watch him fight.

Win or lose, he is what Philippine sports analyst Hermie Rivera calls, "a knight in shining armor; the only credible reason why we're happy now."

You don't have to be a sports fan to love Manny Pacquiao. You just have to know the feeling of being fallen and fighting your way up.

Many of us have felt that at one time or another, of course. But to the Philippines as a whole, this is more than a feeling -- it's the entire story of our nation. We have a history of colonization by not just one but three colonizers -- Spain, the United States and Japan. It's a little embarrassing sometimes to say you're Filipino because of our history of being the world's doormat. And Pacquiao's history is within the personal narrative of every Filipino in this world.

That is not to say my country doesn't have warriors, or that we take things lying down. Colonization, I guess, is one way to test resiliency, because my people know how to survive. And it's that resiliency that makes Manny Pacquiao so loved and embraced. He is the physical expression of our psyche. Whether you're a resident of the slums of Tondo (where my family comes from), a communist rebel, a corrupt politician or even an honest one, you can see in Manny the fighter within our collective consciousness. At the post-interview in his last fight with Mexican boxer Oscar Larios, Manny Pacquiao dedicated his fight to the Filipino people. He said, in Tagalog, "My fight is all our fight -- our country's fight."

With his power to capture the imagination of an entire nation, everyone's turning to Pacquiao for political leadership. After every Pacquiao fight, politicians send out resolutions praising him; the president takes photos with him, hoping his good spell might rub off on her; and the question comes up: Manny for president?

This is the fork in the road that many people who have charmed the Philippine masses -- movie actors, athletes, singers -- eventually face. Every blog, article and forum about Manny Pacquiao that I see eventually calls for him to run for office. And it's not just journalists. Former Senator Francisco Tatad, a popular political figure, has given his endorsement as well. Manny's wife, Jinkee, was quoted in Filipinas Magazine saying that Manny told her he might want to stop fighting when he reached age 30, which is only two years away. So the possibility of a political future is very real.

Everyone knows the skills of Muhammad Ali as a boxer, but everyone also saw him speak out against the Vietnam War, join the Nation of Islam and speak for equality and justice during the civil rights movement. More recently, as Oscar De La Hoya stepped out to fight Ricardo Mayorga in May 2006, he expressed his opposition to anti-immigrant legislation by wearing a "No to 4437" headband. H.R. 4437 is a bill which seeks to criminalize over 11 million of undocumented immigrants who live in the United States. De La Hoya's entire crew wore similar patches.

I hope Manny Pacquiao takes a stand too. A fighting spirit is romantic, but a fighting spirit with a clear purpose of what you're fighting for is power, undeniable.

But Philippine politics has corrupted the best-intentioned people, and I would hate for Manny's fighting spirit to be claimed in the name of more McDonalds, Starbucks and golf courses in the Philippines. So as a nation holds its breath waiting for Manny to answer its political invitation, I hold mine too, hoping to God he says no.

Charisse Domingo is on the staff of Silicon Valley De-Bug and a photographer.