When the billions got eclipsed

Although we Filipinos must have felt the hurt most, we have consolation in the fact that most of the world, especially the sports and media worlds, are with us in denouncing the shameless robbery of the championship belt of Manny Pacquiao in Las Vegas last weekend. Reports yesterday showed that all the major media outfits – the British Broadcasting Network, Cable News Networks, Yahoo, Associated Press, Agence France Presse, HBO, Reuter, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, and hundreds of others all throughout the sports community - believe, as we do that Manny Pacquiao was the winner in that mismatch with the braggart Timothy Bradley.

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Bradley himself must have known that no way was he the winner. Bob Arum, the boxing expert and promoter, disclosed that. BEFORE the decision of the judges was announced, Bradley had told him “I tried hard, but I couldn’t beat the guy”. So he knew he was not the winner. As for Pacquiao, he admitted that he was sure that he won that he wasn’t even listening when referee Michael Buffer was announcing the anomalous scores submitted by the judges. So both Pacquiao and Bradley were equally surprised at the decision.

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And Bradley’s corner also knew that. Those of us who were listening closely during the breaks, clearly heard his trainer telling him to perk up, and warning him “He’s winning, he’s winning!” I didn’t hear this one, but someone else told me she heard the trainer frantically telling Bradley to do more and win even just one round and it will be all right. What does that mean, if true? Only one round to justify whatever arrangements had been made to ensure that Bradley would win?

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But I liked what Jeremy Lin (remember the NBA Wonder Boy who was tagged the Linsanity, before he got injured and had to stop playing) said. His assessment was that “Pacquiao had double the punches, while Bradley had double the hugging”. And it is true, Bradley just kept hugging Manny whenever he could not escape his blows, all 253 of them, with the 190 power punches that connected. But why were the judges all from the state of Nevada to which Las Vegas belongs? Why weren’t other states, or judges from other countries included? Ah, the plot thickens.

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The latest I heard on the Pacquiao affair was that Bob Arum was going to ask the United States Attorney General to investigate the judging of the fight, and why the Nevada State Athletic Commission just picks the judges, apparently without vetting them properly as to their leanings. What if, as what a lot of people suspect, two of them play footsies with the Mafia? What will be the use then of a rematch? They might do something worse than just rigging the scores!

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Meanwhile, I am sorry for President Aquino. He came home as the Pacquiao-Bradley tragedy was taking place and his arrival got eclipsed by the reactions to the fight results. Nobody seemed to be much impressed by the billions of dollars in grants and investments he was said to be bringing, because the nation was in a state of shock and mourning, as well as indignation at what happened at the MGM Grand ring. I will not be surprised if many Filipinos will say, “Never mind the billions, we’d rather have a victory for Manny”. And I wouldn’t blame them, either.

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The national and local elections are still to be held in May 2013, but the political heat is building up already. The filing of certificates of candidacy has been advanced to October, so wannabes are now positioning themselves and blasting their potential opponents this early. I thought that the Commission on Election was supposed to set limits on the campaign period, but it now seems as if it is giving those with political plans time to campaign earlier. Let us hope this does not affect government services as we ordinary citizens could then be the losers.

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A development being closely watched is the case involving two young politicians, Koko Pimentel and Miguel Zubiri. Everybody knows that Pimentel, who turned out to be the real winner, was deprived of four years of the term he was supposed to be entitled to, with Zubiri occupying the position. Now they are expected to be strange bedfellows in the new party formed by former president Joseph Estrada that includes the party to which Pimentel belongs, while Zubiri, who appears to be the party leaders’ favored one, used to be with the team of former president Gloria Arroyo. Pimentel refuses to run on the same ticket as Zubiri, and, alas for him. Erap et al do not seem to care for his wounded feelings. But that’s the way it works in politics, and it looks as if Zubiri has more savvy in this than Pimentel.*

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