EDITORIAL - Dr. Pacquiao

Later today, at the Waterfront Hotel and Casino in Lahug, Cebu City, Manny Pacquiao (yes, the one and only) will be conferred an honorary doctorate in Humanities by Southwestern University.

The conferment initially drew some criticism from academicians who argued that Manny does not deserve the doctorate in Human Kinetics which SWU had intended to bestow, even as mere honoris causa.

But there appears to be no stopping the intent of SWU to honor Pacquiao. The university simply changed the honorary doctorate from one on Human Kinetics to one in Humanities. Whether that satisfied the critics or not, the path now seems clear for Doctor Manny to tread safely.

Actually, the original criticisms, while valid, seem surprising in a country where the conferment of honorary degrees and titles has ceased to surprise. For while there are indeed honorable men and women who richly deserve such honors, there are frankly also many who do not.

The most glaring example of an honor unscrupulously bestowed involved no less than the Order of Lakandula, one of the nation’s highest awards, given to a man who won, of all things, a billiards title, by no less than the president herself.

In other words, if the Order of Lakandula can be given by the president to someone for winning a billiards title, why cannot a university give an honorary doctorate to someone like Manny Pacquiao.

In fact, giving Pacquiao every honorary degree there is to give would probably be more deserved than giving a billiards player the Order of Lakandula, or every Tom, Dick and Harry the honorary doctorate to complete his name.

There is no identifiable Filipino today who has given his country more honor and pride than Pacquiao. And while many may not like the means by which he did it, Pacquiao did it fair and square, while laying his life on the line.