MANILA, NOVEMBER 17, 2010 (STAR) By Paolo Romero - The House of Representatives approved yesterday a resolution conferring the Congressional Medal of Distinction on boxing idol and Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao for bringing honor to the country with his unprecedented eighth championship in as many weight divisions.
Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. banged the gavel at 4:28 p.m. after 178 House members approved his Resolution 625 conferring the congressional honor on one of their members.
"The Philippines is again proudly united in congratulating world boxing legend Manny Pacquiao. This chamber takes pride as well that he brings another victory back home as a member of the House. It is my hope that his story of triumph continues to inspire our youth into realizing that success is close to those who are determined and willing to work very hard to achieve it," Belmonte said.
Resolutions to congratulate Pacquiao also poured in from his House colleagues who wanted to declare a national day of celebration for his victory.
Among the first to file resolutions to bestow honor on Pacquiao, apart from Belmonte, were Bohol Rep. Arthur Yap, Quezon City Rep. Winston Castelo, and An Waray Rep. Florencio Noel.
Other lawmakers who filed similar resolutions were House Majority Leader and Mandaluyong Rep. Neptali Gonzales II, Bayan Muna Rep. Teodoro Casiño, Bagong Henerasyon Rep. Bernadette Herrera-Dy, Cebu Rep. Eduardo Gullas, Bohol Rep. Erico Aumentado, Camarines Norte Rep. Renato Unico, Compostela Valley Rep. Ma. Carmen Zamora-Apsay, Manila Rep. Amado Bagatsing, Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Christopher Co, Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez and his brother Maximo, of the Abante Mindanao party-list group.
As of press time, 20 resolutions were already filed to congratulate and honor Pacquiao.
Upon Gonzales' motion, the chamber voted to consolidate similar resolutions and approved the same.
Pacquiao was conferred honors in the past by previous Congresses, including his Medal of Distinction for his lopsided victory over Oscar dela Hoya in 2008 and his Medal of Achievement for beating Marco Antonio Barrera in 2007, but this is the first time that he would be bestowed such honors as a member of the chamber.
Yap's resolution sought to confer upon Pacquiao the Congressional Medal of Achievement, the highest honor that Congress bestows on any individual. Its previous recipients include former South African President Nelson Mandela, who received the award in 2004.
National day of celebration pushed
Yap also called on President Aquino to declare the return of Pacquiao a "National Day of Celebration" and a special national holiday. The same resolution urged the executive department, local government units (LGUs), state colleges and universities (SUCs) and other government institutions to prepare special programs all over the country.
"Traditionally, after his fights, Manny is paraded in motorcades and feted with special programs in Manila, his home province of Sarangani and his native city of General Santos. With the enormity of his victory, a National Day of Celebration and holiday should be declared so that the return of the Honorable Pacquiao, a true Filipino hero, should be celebrated by the entire country," Yap said.
"Let this achievement of our dear colleague, Rep. Manny 'Pacman' Pacquiao, be the new standard of achievement in our national life and in a parallel way, how we go about the legislative affairs in this country," Castelo said.
Castelo called on Congress several weeks back to declare Floyd Mayweather persona non grata for his racist remarks against the boxing icon and Filipinos.
"In all these strings of awesome achievements in the field of boxing and in all these years in public life, Honorable Pacman has always exuded the Filipino traits of humility, religiosity, and faith in the human individual as he goes through life's challenges and never for a single moment being arrogant, callous or insensitive to the plight of others," Castelo said in House Resolution 617.
Ang Kasangga party-list Rep. Teodorico Haresco said Pacquiao's obvious concern for the safety of Margarito "shows that Manny is not just a fierce warrior but also a compassionate sportsman."
Rodriguez said Pacquiao "serves as the perfect role model for millions and millions of Filipinos, showing us that hard work and dedication can bring success without the need to do anything underhanded and illegal."
"He also serves as a unifying force because as it has become tradition in the Philippines, soldiers fighting a long-running insurgency in the South put down their weapons to watch their idol and expressed their fleeting hopes of reconciliation," Rodriguez said.
He said Pacquiao was also able to work hard in the House, delivering privilege speeches and filing several bills in Congress.
* Prelates: It's time to retire
Meanwhile, Marbel South Cotabato Bishop Dinualdo Gutierrez said yesterday that Pacquiao, after winning his eighth division title, should now decide on what he would prioritize in life.
Bishop Gutierrez, whose diocese covers Sarangani province, told the Church-run Radio Veritas that Pacquiao should now decide on his future and should not neglect his constituents.
In an earlier interview, the prelate said Pacquiao's constituents were suffering because their congressman was dedicating much of his time training for his bout with Margarito.
He said he would leave it up to the 31-year-old congressman if he should quit his boxing career or not, since he would allocate a portion of his winnings to help build a hospital in Sarangani, but his constituents should be his major concern.
"Being a professional boxer hindered his other responsibilities. How can you serve full-time if you are practicing for a concert and your focus is boxing," the South Cotabato bishop added.
Gutierrez's sentiment was shared by Antipolo Auxiliary Bishop Francis de Leon, who told Pacquiao that "it is time to retire and focus on your district."
However, Pacquiao confirmed after his match with Margarito that he would continue boxing.
Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) National Secretariat for Social Action, Justice and Peace (Nassa) chairman Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo said that the decision of some congressmen to travel did not sit well with him because they would be missing sessions at the House of Representatives.
"There are a lot of poor people here in the Philippines who just watch the fight on television. What is the difference between watching it on television in the Philippines compared to going on an expensive trip to the United States? I thought that they were going to apply austerity measures to save on government funds," Pabillo said.
He also pointed out that there were pending bills waiting to be deliberated on in Congress, but some of the lawmakers opted to skip work and watch Pacquiao's bout live in Texas.
The Nassa head said that the legislators need not travel to Texas to show their moral support for Pacquiao since there was already a large Filipino community based in the United States. – Evelyn Macairan
Margarito: Pacman world's best fighter By Abac Cordero (The Philippine Star) Updated November 17, 2010 12:00 AM Comments (0)
HOLLYWOOD – Antonio Margarito was true to his word that he would never quit the way Manny Pacquiao's other opponents did.
"As I said before the fight I was never going to quit and tried to win this fight to the very last minute," said the Mexican warrior, who won the hearts of many with his gallant stand against the hard-hitting Filipino last Saturday in Texas.
Margarito's face was a bloody mask inside the ring and he could have quit as early as the middle rounds if he wanted to. But he stayed in there, walking into Pacquiao's biggest punches that would have knocked out anybody else.
Margarito, a former three-time world champion, took his hat off to Pacquiao.
"I gave it all I had, but unfortunately I was not able to get the victory over the best fighter in the world today."
Margarito is scheduled to undergo operation Tuesday in Texas for a fractured right eye socket. With the kind of beating he suffered, it may take him some time to fully recover and even think of climbing back into the ring.
Two days after the fight, Margarito came out with an official statement.
"I would like to congratulate Manny Pacquiao for his win on Saturday night. It was a tough and difficult fight for me and I hope the fans enjoyed our battle at (the) Cowboys Stadium," he said.
He thanked Bob Arum of Top Rank for giving him the opportunity to fight Pacquiao and the chance to clear his name following the handwrapping scandal during his 2009 battle with Shane Mosley.
"I also want to thank Bob Arum for always believing in me and for giving me the opportunity to fight Manny Pacquiao. I also want to thank all the fans who came to see me and who watched the fight on TV and continue to support me," he said.
"We had a great training camp and I want to thank Robert Garcia for a great job and everyone in Oxnard for their great hospitality. I am also very grateful with my wife Michelle, Sergio Diaz and Francisco Espinoza (his co-managers) for all their support."
Margarito congratulates Pacquiao on win (philstar.com) Updated November 16, 2010 10:32 AM Comments (4)
DALLAS (AP) – Antonio Margarito congratulated Manny Pacquiao from his hospital bed in Dallas, describing the latter as the best boxer in the world.
Margarito, who is scheduled to undergo surgery Tuesday for a fractured right eye socket, issued a statement thanking his fans for supporting him in his lopsided loss to Pacquiao at Cowboys Stadium.
"I gave it all I had, but unfortunately I was not able to get the victory over the best fighter in the world today," Margarito said. "As I said before the fight I was never going to quit and tried to win this fight to the very last minute"
Margarito lasted all 12 rounds in the loss, but took such a beating that both eyes were swollen shut and his face was a bloody mess. He has been hospitalized since, with doctors waiting until the swelling to go down to perform the surgery.
Margarito said he planned to fly to Los Angeles on Wednesday, then head home to Tijuana.
Pacquiao, meanwhile, was scheduled to perform in a concert Tuesday night at Lake Tahoe, then fly home to his native Philippines.
Roach: Margarito shows a lot of heart By Abac Cordero (The Philippine Star) Updated November 17, 2010 12:00 AM Comments (0)
HOLLYWOOD - Antonio Margarito lost the fight, badly, but won the heart of Freddie Roach.
After the smoke of battle had cleared, as Roach attended to his old business at the Wild Card Gym, he said he still can't figure out how Margarito survived those 12 rounds of hell.
"He did show me he's devastating and I really have a hard time wondering what kept him up," said Roach on a cold Monday afternoon.
"He really has a lot of heart. I got to give him that," he added.
Margarito, half blind and bleeding, took a 12-round beating from Manny Pacquiao at the Cowboys Stadium last Saturday. A couple of times he looked ready to fall, but somehow he didn't, and lasted the distance.
He is scheduled to undergo surgery Tuesday in Texas for a fractured eye socket, and Roach wished the worst is over for Margarito even if he said it may take some time for Margarito to be seen back in the ring.
Or probably never again.
"If I was his trainer, I would have stopped the fight after the eight or ninth round, but I'm not. He has a young corner, inexperienced. I would have saved him," said the celebrated trainer.
"I think he will never fight again. He will never be a threat again because the punishment he took was too much to make a comeback. I feel," Roach added.
Roach felt it was the best fight Pacquiao ever fought because he had to beat a fighter almost twice bigger than him. The fighters left the dressing rooms with a disparity, in size, as big as the Cowboys Stadium.
Margarito stood 5-feet-11 inches at 165 lb while Pacquiao stood 5-feet-6 at 148 lb.
Yet, in the end, it was Pacquiao who stood 10 feet tall.
Roach was asked what he wanted for Pacquiao next. He said it's what he wants as well for himself, a vacation.
"I told him to take six months off. He needs a nice, long rest, gets his eyes off these. Relax, enjoy your family, enjoy your politics, whatever you do," Roach said.
Going back to Margarito, Roach had kind words to send.
"As far as Margarito is concerned, he earned my respect with the heart that he has. I wish him well. I have no hard feelings about what they did," Roach said.
He admitted that after the fight, he thought of visiting Margarito in his dressing room, but even before he took the first step, he backed off.
"It could be taken against me or something, why I would show up in there. So I didn't go," he said.
What would he have said if he went?
"I would've told him he's the bravest man I've ever met," said the world's greatest trainer.
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