Pacman fine, stays another day in hospital

MANILA, Philippines - The Pacman is no Superman.

Manny Pacquiao, never been stopped in the ring in the last five years, and who seemed tireless during the recent campaign, fell to his old nemesis, a stomach ailment known as acid reflux, and was rushed to the hospital for treatment the other day.

The 31-year-old boxing superstar, who never fails to amaze his handlers with his boundless energy in the ring, complained of stomach pain early Sunday morning, and was taken to the Cardinal Santos Hospital where he remained confined as of presstime.

He underwent endoscopy, a procedure where a thin, flexible tube was inserted to his mouth all the way down to his stomach, illuminating the object under observation, and transmitting the image to a monitor for the attending doctors to observe.

“It went well and the results from the lab were good. It’s the same old thing, the acid reflux, but doctors advised him to take the endoscopy,” said the boxer’s business manager, Eric Pineda.

Pineda said the grind of the two-month campaign in Sarangani, where Pacquiao was elected congressman during the May 10 elections, has finally taken its toll on the hard-hitting champion, who may stay one more night at the hospital.

During the campaign, Pacquiao is out of his mansion practically the whole day, oftentimes skipping or missing his meals.

“Maybe he thought he was Superman. It’s not that he missed his meals, but he wasn’t eating on time. And by the time he’d put food in his stomach, the acid has developed inside. But he’s okay now. He’s sleeping right now,” said Pineda.

“He should be out of the hospital tomorrow,” said Pacquiao’s personal secretary, Bren Evangelio.

It was the second time since 2006 that Pacquiao was taken to the same hospital for acid reflux, a chronic digestive disease that occurs when stomach acid or, occasionally, bile flows back (refluxes) into the food pipe or esophagus.

On the day of the elections, shortly before midnight, as the boxer was holed up in a safehouse, monitoring the results of the elections, Pacquiao was seen pressing his hands against his stomach. His face looked pale at the time.

When asked how he was feeling, only then that he realized he hadn’t eaten the whole day. It probably went that way during the entire campaign, when the boxer often stayed up until the wee hours of the morning.

Michael Koncz, his Canadian adviser, said Pacquiao just slept for an average of four a six hours a day during the campaign.

The day before the elections, Pacquiao would have skipped lunch once more, and was on his way out of his mansion to make the rounds, when he was reminded by his mother, popularly known as Mommy Dionisia, to get something to eat.

“Oo nga pala, hindi pa ako kumakain (That’s right, I haven’t eaten),” said Pacquiao, heading straight to the dining room, and in no time he finished a plateful of steamed rice, fish, vegatables and fruits, and orange juice.

“Pang-buong araw na ‘to (This should last the whole day),” he said.

Pacquiao should be up and about in a couple of days, and by the time he ties some loose ends regarding the elections, he should be bound for the United States to attend the Boxing Writers of America Awards in New York.

The BWAA has named Pacquiao its 2009 Fighter of the Year, and his trainer, Freddie Roach, the Trainer of the Year. The affair is scheduled June 4, and the Filipino icon should be there to receive the award for the third time.