Pacman's day

Sundays are red letter days in our calendars as it is a day when people are not supposed to work. Well, not for this deadline beater and many others from our industry, who are forced to take days off on other days of the week to make sure that the newspaper comes out everyday.

This Sunday will be another work day, but it will be a different work day no matter what happens in Arlington, Texas, which is hosting the bout between Rep. Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines and Antonio Margarito of Mexico.

I’m sure there wouldn’t be much traffic on the roads and there will be very few people at the malls and the late morning masses.

There will also be a lot of cheering and jeering at places where the fight will be telecast live with buffet brunch on the side.

After the bout, there would be many experts, who would dissect each and every move of the Pacman and his foe.

One more thing, even the criminals will be lying low and watching the bout. Just watch your valuables when you are in a public place these bad elements could be there with you.

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Several Cebuanos are now in the US to watch this weekend’s fight. Among them is one of my closest friends from high school, Dr. Vicente ‘Inting’ Avanzado, Jr. and his wife Grace.

Inting was my classmate from my freshman to junior year in high school and he was also the one who encouraged me to take the examination for our school magazine back during our first year in high school.

Although our paths did not anymore bisect much during college and after that, I was really a bit surprised to learn how much he loves boxing aside from his hobbies of collecting stamps and coins, which he had been doing since before high school.

One thing that he told me he was looking forward to is spending some time with Pacman as they would be staying in the same hotel as the fighter.

I’m sure you’re going to enjoy the fight my friend and will meet a lot of fellow Cebuanos there aside from many congressmen, who have asked permission to watch their colleague fight.

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I wrote about Plantation Bay Resort and Spa hosting the Davis Cup tie between the Philippines and Japan in yesterday’s column.

The resort also hosted the first triathlon in Cebu a long time ago, which was organized in cooperation with a now-defunct radio station.

Then, there were very few Cebuanos, who took part in the event. Now, we have so many Cebuanos, who are into triathlon including my former football teammate Tenggoy Colmenares.

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MILESTONES: Happy birthday greetings go to Nelda ‘Mama Nelds’ Maureal, who turns a year older today. The same goes to barangay Santo Niño Councilman Anthony Winey Echavez, Joseph Stevens, Dr. Rhodette Enriquez-Arevalo, Dr. Shawn Espina, and Julie Lee.

Advance greetings go to Atty. Louella Mendoza-Yu, who is celebrating tomorrow.

More power to all of you! – THE FREEMAN