Congressional medal for Pacman

MANILA, Philippines - The House of Representatives approved yesterday a resolution conferring the Congressional Medal of Distinction on boxing idol and Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao for bringing honor to the country with his unprecedented eighth championship in as many weight divisions.

Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. banged the gavel at 4:28 p.m. after 178 House members approved his Resolution 625 conferring the congressional honor on one of their members.

“The Philippines is again proudly united in congratulating world boxing legend Manny Pacquiao. This chamber takes pride as well that he brings another victory back home as a member of the House. It is my hope that his story of triumph continues to inspire our youth into realizing that success is close to those who are determined and willing to work very hard to achieve it,” Belmonte said.

Resolutions to congratulate Pacquiao also poured in from his House colleagues who wanted to declare a national day of celebration for his victory.

Among the first to file resolutions to bestow honor on Pacquiao, apart from Belmonte, were Bohol Rep. Arthur Yap, Quezon City Rep. Winston Castelo, and An Waray Rep. Florencio Noel.

Other lawmakers who filed similar resolutions were House Majority Leader and Mandaluyong Rep. Neptali Gonzales II, Bayan Muna Rep. Teodoro Casiño, Bagong Henerasyon Rep. Bernadette Herrera-Dy, Cebu Rep. Eduardo Gullas, Bohol Rep. Erico Aumentado, Camarines Norte Rep. Renato Unico, Compostela Valley Rep. Ma. Carmen Zamora-Apsay, Manila Rep. Amado Bagatsing, Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Christopher Co, Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez and his brother Maximo, of the Abante Mindanao party-list group.

As of press time, 20 resolutions were already filed to congratulate and honor Pacquiao.

Upon Gonzales’ motion, the chamber voted to consolidate similar resolutions and approved the same.

Pacquiao was conferred honors in the past by previous Congresses, including his Medal of Distinction for his lopsided victory over Oscar dela Hoya in 2008 and his Medal of Achievement for beating Marco Antonio Barrera in 2007, but this is the first time that he would be bestowed such honors as a member of the chamber.

Yap’s resolution sought to confer upon Pacquiao the Congressional Medal of Achievement, the highest honor that Congress bestows on any individual. Its previous recipients include former South African President Nelson Mandela, who received the award in 2004.

National day of celebration pushed

Yap also called on President Aquino to declare the return of Pacquiao a “National Day of Celebration” and a special national holiday. The same resolution urged the executive department, local government units (LGUs), state colleges and universities (SUCs) and other government institutions to prepare special programs all over the country.

“Traditionally, after his fights, Manny is paraded in motorcades and feted with special programs in Manila, his home province of Sarangani and his native city of General Santos. With the enormity of his victory, a National Day of Celebration and holiday should be declared so that the return of the Honorable Pacquiao, a true Filipino hero, should be celebrated by the entire country,” Yap said.

“Let this achievement of our dear colleague, Rep. Manny ‘Pacman’ Pacquiao, be the new standard of achievement in our national life and in a parallel way, how we go about the legislative affairs in this country,” Castelo said.

Castelo called on Congress several weeks back to declare Floyd Mayweather persona non grata for his racist remarks against the boxing icon and Filipinos.

“In all these strings of awesome achievements in the field of boxing and in all these years in public life, Honorable Pacman has always exuded the Filipino traits of humility, religiosity, and faith in the human individual as he goes through life’s challenges and never for a single moment being arrogant, callous or insensitive to the plight of others,” Castelo said in House Resolution 617.

Ang Kasangga party-list Rep. Teodorico Haresco said Pacquiao’s obvious concern for the safety of Margarito “shows that Manny is not just a fierce warrior but also a compassionate sportsman.”

Rodriguez said Pacquiao “serves as the perfect role model for millions and millions of Filipinos, showing us that hard work and dedication can bring success without the need to do anything underhanded and illegal.”

“He also serves as a unifying force because as it has become tradition in the Philippines, soldiers fighting a long-running insurgency in the South put down their weapons to watch their idol and expressed their fleeting hopes of reconciliation,” Rodriguez said.

He said Pacquiao was also able to work hard in the House, delivering privilege speeches and filing several bills in Congress.

* Prelates: It’s time to retire

Meanwhile, Marbel South Cotabato Bishop Dinualdo Gutierrez said yesterday that Pacquiao, after winning his eighth division title, should now decide on what he would prioritize in life.

Bishop Gutierrez, whose diocese covers Sarangani province, told the Church-run Radio Veritas that Pacquiao should now decide on his future and should not neglect his constituents.

In an earlier interview, the prelate said Pacquiao’s constituents were suffering because their congressman was dedicating much of his time training for his bout with Margarito.

He said he would leave it up to the 31-year-old congressman if he should quit his boxing career or not, since he would allocate a portion of his winnings to help build a hospital in Sarangani, but his constituents should be his major concern.

“Being a professional boxer hindered his other responsibilities. How can you serve full-time if you are practicing for a concert and your focus is boxing,” the South Cotabato bishop added.

Gutierrez’s sentiment was shared by Antipolo Auxiliary Bishop Francis de Leon, who told Pacquiao that “it is time to retire and focus on your district.”

However, Pacquiao confirmed after his match with Margarito that he would continue boxing.

Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) National Secretariat for Social Action, Justice and Peace (Nassa) chairman Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo said that the decision of some congressmen to travel did not sit well with him because they would be missing sessions at the House of Representatives.

“There are a lot of poor people here in the Philippines who just watch the fight on television. What is the difference between watching it on television in the Philippines compared to going on an expensive trip to the United States? I thought that they were going to apply austerity measures to save on government funds,” Pabillo said.

He also pointed out that there were pending bills waiting to be deliberated on in Congress, but some of the lawmakers opted to skip work and watch Pacquiao’s bout live in Texas.

The Nassa head said that the legislators need not travel to Texas to show their moral support for Pacquiao since there was already a large Filipino community based in the United States. – Evelyn Macairan