Manny gets hero’s welcome at NAIA

Filipino boxing champion Manny Pacquiao received a warm welcome yesterday at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) as he flew in from the United States.

Pacquiao, still sporting the stitches that closed the cut he received just above his right eyebrow in last Sunday’s Las Vegas match with Mexican Erik Morales, was dressed in a blue long-sleeved shirt, dark slacks, and black leather shoes. He was accompanied by his wife, Jinky.

They were welcomed by their two sons, four-year-old Emmanuel Jr. and Michael Stephan, 3, as well as Jinky’s parents.

Pacquiao – who suffered defeat at the hands of the Mexican prizefighter in a bitterly fought match in Las Vegas, Nevada last March 20 – and his wife were aboard Philippine Airlines (PAL) flight PR-103 from Los Angeles, California and arrived at NAIA’s Centennial Terminal at around 7:45 a.m.

Government officials who welcomed Pacquiao at the airport were led by Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita and Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano, who hailed him as a hero despite his loss to Morales.

Manila International Airport Authority general manager Alfonso Cusi was part of the government delegation that welcomed Pacquiao.

Pacquiao, in a press conference held at the PAL Dignitaries Lounge a few minutes after disembarking from the plane, lamented his loss to Morales but added that he hoped people would recognize that he stayed in the ring and gave a good fight.

"Pasensya na kayo hindi ko natupad yung gusto kong gawin. Alam ko rin naman na marami sa inyo ang nanalangin na manalo ako (I apologize for not being able to fulfill my objective. I know that many of you prayed that I would win)," he told reporters.

Pacquiao said he continued to fight even after he could no longer see with his right eye after Morales head-butted him.

Asked to comment about his mother’s statement that she would ask her son to retire after his loss to Morales last week, Pacquiao

said while he understood his mother’s concerns, he would continue to enter the ring in the future.

"I’ve come to love boxing. It’s normal for a boxer to sustain a cut or suffer a loss," he said in Filipino.

Pacquiao said he has a fight scheduled in July, but does not know at this time who his opponent will be. He is then set to face Morales again in a rematch bout.

He said he prefers to look at his loss to Morales in a positive light and sees it as gaining experience.

From his fight with Morales, Pacquiao said he learned the importance of being 100 percent ready, both in body and mind.

Asked by reporters about his soured relationship with boxing promoter Murad Muhammad, Pacquiao at first refrained from making any statements but later indicated his resentment over the large cut Muhammad received from the $1.75 million the fighter earned from the fight.

"I’d rather not comment. I lost because I constantly thought about my problems," he said.

Pacquiao added, "Murad earned more than I did. We did the work, but they earned more. When Murad talks, he invokes the name of God."

Durano said due to the timing of Pacquiao’s arrival in the country — Black Saturday — the government’s welcome was "toned down."

However, Durano said Malacañang will formally honor Pacquiao next week after he has gone home to General Santos City to enjoy the company of his immediate family.

Meanwhile, Smart Communications said in a statement that it is honored to welcome home Pacquiao, one of its product endorsers.

"He has shown the world an example of Filipino character at its finest. Against a formidable and larger opponent, injured and unable to see in one eye, his determination to press on never wavered. He has truly earned our admiration, and Smart is proud to be associated with Manny," the Smart statement read.