EDITORIAL - What a sad saga to tell

Many may not believe this, but the world actually stopped last Sunday for many Filipinos when Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao again fought on the international stage. And while his fight against Mexican Hector Velasquez was merely a tune-up for his upcoming rematch against tormentor Erik Morales, who ironically lost his own bout on the same card, the distinction hardly mattered.

Let us face it. Manny Pacquiao has become the unlikely hero for many. By unlikely we do not mean it to disparage his person, only that he does not come in the same mold that most heroes do. Other than that, however, there is nothing unlikely about his being a hero. He is one of only very few among the 87 or so million Filipinos who can make us swell with pride these days.

Proof of how Pacquiao has made us Filipinos so proud was the almost instantaneous attempt by embattled President Arroyo to hang on to the coattails of the latest Pacquiao victory. No sooner was Pacquiao declared winner by technical knockout at the end of the 6th round that the face of Arroyo appeared on television sets to congratulate him and the Filipinos.

Of course, in different times, there would have been nothing wrong in the president of a country coming out in public to congratulate a compatriot whose exploits, in whatever field, did the country proud. But these days, the presidency has become so tarnished that the Arroyo caper left a bad taste in the mouth.

But then again, who can really blame Arroyo. She has become so desperate for respect that nothing is beyond her trying. In that regard she deserved sympathy than rejection. One only wished she did it at a later time, instead of right after the fight when all Filipinos were still high up in the clouds in ecstasy. The sudden appearance of Arroyo was indeed a damper.

But then again, the pride that Pacquiao has allowed all Filipinos to feel is beyond any dampener. So desperate on their own have Filipinos become that Pacquiao can top any survey on approval ratings if only the survey organizations did not devote themselves almost exclusively on politics and the economy.

Of course, we do not wish Pacquiao to enter the world of politics, although that may seem a logical option someday, provided he does not retire in disgrace. Or maybe he can join show business first and then make a stab at politics as is the apparent trend nowadays. Whichever way it may be, though, it seems the boxer from General Santos City is already indelibly etched in the hearts and minds of Filipinos.

One cannot help but reminisce, though, of those times when the cut for heroes and heroism were not so readily available for just about anyone. There were requirements that were more stringent. And while heroism does not make intelligence an exclusive parameter, that sort of came with the territory.

But not anymore. The Philippines has been so ravaged in its national character that there was actually a time when Filipinos actually clamored for a dog over a dictator. Luckily a woman came, a housewife, who would lead us through some very difficult times. Now a boxer has come, not to lead us, but to keep our sagging spirits up, perhaps for another stab at glory at some time in the distant future. What a sad saga our country has to tell.