Idol

See what happens, all you folks of little faith, when you are swayed by the bookies’ odds.

A lot of people must have lost a tidy sum yesterday for betting on Oscar de la Hoya in his prizefight against Manny Pacquiao. Several sports watchers told me Friday that those who bet on Pacquiao did so mostly for sentimental or patriotic reasons.

Months before the fight the big question was why Pacquiao had agreed to take on De la Hoya. The only answer was the huge prize money, win or lose. Only the few who made a killing yesterday from placing the right bet believed Pacquiao when he said he could handle De la Hoya.

Some of the pre-fight idle talk touched on the possibility of developing Parkinson’s Disease, which afflicts boxing legend Muhammad Ali, or Alzheimer’s from having your head knocked regularly with powerful punches in boxing. Would the prize money, big as it was, be worth it?

Everyone braced for the sight of “Pacman” with his face battered by “King Kong.”

Instead it was De la Hoya who took a beating and threw in the towel in the eighth round.

The Brits in the Philippines are now looking forward to the likely next fight, this time between Pacquiao and British light welterweight champion Ricky “The Hitman” Hatton.

At a dinner Thursday night hosted by UK Ambassador Peter Beckingham and his wife Jill for visiting British Members of Parliament Mark Pritchard, Elliot Morley and Graham Stuart, one of the topics was Pacquiao versus Hatton, and where the fight might be held.

Among the Beckinghams’ guests was Darlene Magnolia Antonino-Custodio, the petite 34-year-old member of the Antonino political clan who trounced Pacquiao in last year’s congressional race in South Cotabato-General Santos City.

Custodio, a graduate of O.B. Montessori and De la Salle U, had spent time in the UK, obtaining a degree in culinary arts from the London branch of the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu.

A screen would be set up in her district for the public to watch the Pacquiao-De la Hoya fight, she told me.

Some British dinner guests observed that if their MPs went overseas to watch a boxing bout, the public opprobrium would be so harsh the MPs would be forced to quit Parliament.

Oh well, it’s a different country. Not even the threat of a House coup could keep Speaker Prospero Nograles and the usual bunch of Pacquiao government groupies from flying to Las Vegas to watch the prizefight.

Filipinos, who have lost their capacity for outrage, simply shrugged.

Yesterday everyone’s mind was on Pacquiao’s victory, which bucked 2-to-1 odds, and his path to immense fame and fortune.

* * *

A nation needs sports heroes, and Pacquiao is one of a handful to bring glory to Philippine sports in its entire history.

His rise from a hardscrabble existence to success and wealth he probably never even dreamed of has turned him into a role model for young men especially in impoverished communities.

What we need are more heroes – individuals who excel not just in boxing but also in other fields – who can serve as role models for the young.

We have such a dearth of heroes that a calendar story on the eve of Pacquiao’s prizefight could push away from the headlines the killing of 16 people, including a seven-year-old child and her father, in a police operation. We have a surfeit of bad news and so little good that media organizations probably didn’t even think twice about the choice.

Pacquiao will one day retire, possibly sooner than the nation would like it, and the next generation of boxers must be prepared to carry on his impressive performance.

But apart from boxing champions, our youths must also be given other role models to guide them in their career choices.

Many Filipinos measure success in terms of fame and fortune, and their top role models in this country are boxers, entertainers and politicians.

The successful athlete is the one who makes a pile of money, which is probably why Filipinos have little interest in excelling in sports where no cash award is involved, such as those that are the main features in the Olympics. Why expend so much time, effort and money for training in tossing a javelin or leaping as far as you can, and only for a gold medal that you can’t even pawn? Running can be useful for catching a chicken or wayward pig, but can you make money out of it?

But Pacquiao – now there’s a guy who has become a peso billionaire in just a few years. He has bought a mansion in his hometown and can afford to give away Thanksgiving turkeys in Los Angeles and rubber shoes (no cheap knockoffs) in GenSan.

Never mind if boxers are called the modern day gladiators, whose vocation is perfecting the art of smashing someone else’s face. For many Filipino boys, Pacman is the man, the idol to emulate.

To be sure, Pacquiao is a better role model than the politicians whose abusive, crooked ways may also be inspiring a generation of fans. He’s also a better role model than the comedians who enter politics when they’ve lost their drawing power at the box office, or the other entertainers who think popularity is the only qualification needed for public office.

Pacquiao is certainly a better role model than Customs or revenue collectors. At least his mansion and fleet of luxury vehicles came from money earned from honest, hard work.

He’s the best in his field and deserves a hero’s treatment by his compatriots. He owes his success to sheer talent and determination, not political connections – another inspiring message to the Filipino youth.

What we need is the culture of excellence that has marked Pacquiao’s rise to where he is now. What we need are more self-made heroes in other fields.