Everything But Poker

Getting to the top of one’s sport provides a certain amount of media exposure. But, great as that may be, it takes a truly transcendent personality to make it to the cover of Time Magazine, a feat accomplished by only a few athletes through the years. Well, you can add Manny Pacquiao’s name to that short list.



In a profile by Howard Chua-Eoan and Ishaan Tharoor for Time Magazine Asia Edition, Pacquiao is presented as an unstoppable force in the boxing world, having collected title belts in six weight classes during the past eight years, but whose ambitions stretch far beyond the boxing world. It appears Pacquiao’s candidacy for a congressional seat in his hometown of General Santos City, Philippines, in 2007 was far more than a media stunt – Pacquiao’s political aspirations are absolutely real. Many predict that he will again run for Congress in the 2010 election, aligning himself with President Gloria Arroyo but representing his own political party: the Peoples Champ Movement.

Whether Pacquiao’s immense worldwide popularity will serve Filipinos best in the political real or the athletic real, however, is still under debate. From his heavily-accented, “provincial” English accent to his naïve understanding of the Filipino power structure, many contend that Pacquiao is best suited as a private benefactor rather than a public servant. “They don’t want him to run, to dirty himself and open himself to charges of corruption,” Ramon Casiple, a local political analyst, told Time. That may not be enough to stop the Pac-Man though, whose personal remittances have been steady and substantial, in his quest to lead his proud countrymen.

Nevertheless, boxing is his main concern right now, and the fight against Miguel Cotto on Nov. 14, is the most important of his already historic career. Manny Pacquiao came from a tiny, impoverished Filipino island, made it to the capital city, to the United States and finally to the cover of Time magazine. As local sports journalist Nick Giongco told the magazine, “Filipinos are dreamers. They like fantasy. And what is more of a fantasy than Manny Pacquiao?” The question is, whose dream will come true?