yes, he is the modern filipino folk hero. every time there's a pacman match, the crime rate is down, even zilch. congress will have its complete attendance in las vegas. military offensives in southern mindanao would have to stop. dec 7 is implicitly declared a philippine holiday. and he's just boxing. more than the sport we came to love, he becomes the symbol of hope. the hope for our seemingly decrepit democracy slowly shifting to oligarchy. a respite from the gadfly of immoralities this government came to emulate. and whoah, gma and her spin doctors love to toy around with the filipino's short attention span, even memory loss.
if he wins, people will easily forget the euro generals, the zte investigation, the extra-judicial killings, among the litany of other scandals that rocked this government. headlines will be replaced by his victory for weeks. and we feel that despite a crunch-time christmas, we feel better off. the psychoanalysis of pacquaio's victory will have a placebo effect to our nation. denying ourselves that we are sick; sick with apathy. somebody have said that we have reached our political maturity. oh well. whoever said that needs some wringing. this country needs an inspiration. certainly, pacman can give that. but as we go back to our usual chores, can we say did it change our lives, our country for the better?
if he loses, people will easily forget the unfortunate result of the fight and console him. he will still be proclaimed winner by the filipinos. media hype on the fight and his defeat would slowly wane. but in pacman's ego, it would be painful. his reach for self-actualization, the highest level in maslow's hierarchy of needs, would slip off to esteem needs; the need for more self-recognition and status. but this is a dream fight and losing it, if i were pacman, is not acceptable. i will seek for re-match. fight again for redemption. i'm not taunting him, i'm just trying to read his mind. that will keep him busy beyond 2010. his plan to retire next year and run for public office will be shelved. everybody thinks he's better off as a boxer than a politician. this is clearly reflected on his defeat in his district last local elections. i know pacman is a good man and his good intentions for public welfare is remarkable. but i think politics is not the answer for him to do the good deed. he will easily be consumed by the dogs surrounding him. like a vampire bite, once bitten you will be one of them.
people would say to cut some slack and forget politics for once. oh well. this is just me speaking my subconscious.
disclaimer: i'm a big pacman fan. today is his big fight. and i do want him to win.
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