Manny Pacquiao: National inspiration or national distraction?
MANILA, Philippines - Congratulations to the Pac-Man! There is no other way to say it. His win over Chris Algieri last Sunday proves once again that he is one of the best boxers of all time. Much has been made of his success, his punching power, his speed, his wit, his origins, his US TV appearances, his “behind the back” basketball shooting form, his entourage, his retirement, his charm, his wealth, his taxes, his singing, his celebrity connections, his spirituality, his mother, his children, his English, his political ambitions, his rivals, his Bisayan accent — Manny Pacquiao is spectacular, he is a hero, he is the modern-day Renaissance man. We are honored to be called his countrymen.
This is the Manny Pacquiao story, one of the many national narratives mass media promotes in lieu of anything else that would fare higher ratings. It has been told and retold countless times because, not only is it convenient; it’s also a feel-good story of rags to riches. After a legitimate and grueling climb to the top, the individual makes it to the big leagues, flanked by Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and, of course, Chavit Singson. Truly, a one in 98.3 million stories to behold.
But something is off, and it’s not so much Chavit Singson. Pacquiao’s life story’s message is clear: With unwavering faith in the Lord and an undying desire to work and to fight — with Filipino spirit — success will come. This leaves many holes. Why, for example, did immense poverty exist in General Santos City in the first place? And why does it still exist there now? Why is there so much money in boxing and too little opportunities for farmers? Why can’t everyone take the same path, take the same chances, for success?
QUESTIONS OF POLITICS
These are questions that thrive outside the realm of the individual and enter the vast worlds of economics, politics and society. These aspects are discounted, even blatantly censored by the bold and fantastic story of the individual. Individualist discourse would answer these with the line, “Faced with adversities, the individual just pushed even harder.” If that were the case, then a good chunk of Filipinos would now be swimming in bathtubs full of money — perseverance and hard work are what citizens of third world countries eat for breakfast. They are prerequisites to surviving in this country. One cannot and will not last a week in this wasteland without them. It’s just that the problems (or challenges) have, likewise, infiltrated social structures and have grown lives of their own.
It is ironic that the Pac-Man’s fight happened in the month of November. Nov. 16, 2004 was the day seven farmworkers of Hacienda Luisita were brutally murdered and 121 were injured — 11 were children, four were elderly; 32 of them were hit by bullets. In subsequent weeks, eight more were killed by the hacienda owners’ henchmen, four of whom were figureheads. On Nov. 23, 2009, 58 persons were killed, 33 of whom were members of the media, in the town of Ampatuan, Maguindanao. And on Nov. 8, 2013, typhoon Yolanda struck, accompanied by the government’s grave negligence, claiming almost 7,000 lives.
IMPUNITY PREVAILS
These are social ills that cannot be remedied just by powering through, staying positive, and snubbing the hurdles that get in the way. Of these three — the Hacienda Luisita Massacre, the Ampatuan Massacre, the natural and political disaster of Yolanda — none have received the swift justices granted after a boxing match. Impunity prevails over societies and its individuals.
The last day of November, Bonifacio Day, is a curious holiday. While Jose Rizal was executed on Dec. 30 and Rizal Day is celebrated on that date, Bonifacio Day is celebrated on the day he was born, not on May 10, the day he was brutally murdered. It was moved in an attempt to rewrite history: nobody wants to remember Bonifacio as a hero betrayed by his own countrymen. His story as an individual — the acceptable story of a “poor and simple” man rising to the ranks — is the one that is remembered. His story as a revolutionary who died fighting social ills is forgotten and “corrected.” Forget about May 10; celebrate Nov. 30. Pacquiao’s story is not the first to be rewritten for the sake of ratings.
Of course, nothing in the Pac-Man myth is short of legendary. Manny should be praised for succeeding against all odds. But news coverage of the boxer shouldn’t blind us to what else is going on. As I type this, 300 Lumads and peasants from Mindanao, the same island where Manny Pacquaio was born and raised, are fighting for their land and their lives. They were displaced by the military for they were disrupting the mining activities on their ancestral land. Remember, remember, the month of November.
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