FILIPINOS AROUND THE COUNTRY yesterday erupted in jubilation when Manny Pacquiao’s left hook exploded on the jaw of Ricky Hatton, but some said they felt bitin (unsatisfied) because the fight ended too soon.
Caught in the excitement generated by the fight, some priests hurried through with their Sunday Masses or shortened their sermons, while ordinary people woke early or climbed trees to see live feeds of the bout.
In Tacloban City, organizers of the Palarong Pambansa suspended some games so that athletes and spectators alike could watch the telecast of the Las Vegas fight.
But tragedy struck in Batangas City where a 64-year-old fan of Pacquiao collapsed dead from a heart attack while watching his hero on television score a devastating ring triumph 12,000 kilometers away.
In parts of Bicol, residents failed to see the fight because a storm had toppled power lines and plunged their communities into darkness.
As in previous Pacquiao fights, soldiers and Moro guerrillas briefly stopped fighting in some areas of Mindanao so they could follow the fight on radio and television.
But there was no respite for some units pursuing the Abu Sayyaf bandits in Jolo. Saying duty came first, they captured one of the bandits’ camps in the village of Bunot in Indanan town yesterday morning, police said.
President Macapagal-Arroyo declared a “national day of celebration” to mark Pacquiao’s feat, saying his “spectacular victory” should inspire all Filipinos to emulate his example of always striving to improve oneself.
Malacañang officials said Ms Arroyo learned about Pacquiao’s victory while she was visiting Egypt on her way to Syria and was herself surprised at how swiftly the Filipino champion had disposed of the English brawler.
Remonde said the delegation could not believe that the fight was over in less than six minutes.
“We found it sort of incredulous that it was over quickly,” Remonde said.
Ms Arroyo plans to honor Pacquiao later with a luncheon in Malacañang.
The “Pacman mania” also spread to the cyberworld, where popular singer Mariah Carey twittered, “Unbelievable,” in reference to Pacquiao.
Facebook was filled with cheers for Pacquiao. Some users said:
“Asar si Aling Dionesia kasi naunahan siya ni Hatton na himatayin!” (Aling Dionesia is pissed off because Hatton became unconscious ahead of her).
“It took a longer time to look for a parking lot than to watch the fight.”
Deposed President Joseph Estrada said Pacquiao “is truly an inspiration to Filipinos everywhere.”
Agence France-Presse said “millions of Filipinos danced in the streets and joined raucous parties” after Pacquiao’s victory.
The following reports from Inquirer reporters and correspondents in Metro Manila and around the country show how Filipinos were caught up in the Pacquiao frenzy:
Hearts belong to Pacman
Hatton may be their countryman, but to British citizens like Paul Pryde and Arthur Conn, who have stayed and fallen in love with the Philippines, their hearts belong to Pacquiao.
They said they considered themselves to be Filipinos.
“So we’re rooting for Pacquiao,” Conn said at Howzat sports bar on Kalayaan Street in Makati City before the start of the live telecast. “Hatton likes to drink, too … he gets drunk every night unlike Pacquiao,” added the 35-year-old software engineer, who has been in the country for five years.
Pryde, one of bar’s owners, said Britons who are in the Philippines on vacation may be cheering for Hatton—but not those who have been “Filipinized,” like him and Conn.
Five LCD TV screens at Howzat attracted a beer-guzzling, predominantly male crowd. A large-screen projector was put up in another part of the bar to cater to a total of 200 customers, who spent P500 each to watch the fight. The ticket came with coffee and a breakfast buffet.
Many customers obviously felt disappointed that the fight ended quickly. Allison W. Lopez
Some felt shortchanged
Fruit vendor Rodel Ubaldo felt shortchanged after spending hard-earned money to watch a live telecast of the fight.
“I know Manny would win but it would have been better if the fight had lasted for at least five rounds so I would have gotten my money’s worth,” he said in Filipino. He said he paid P250 to see the fight.
“It was finished even before I could warm my seat,” Ubaldo added.
More than 1,000 people filled up the Amoranto Stadium to see the fight by satellite sponsored by the Rotary Club Kamuning East. Nancy Carvajal
No room for everyone
Hundreds of fans kicked, pushed, shoved and then ripped up tickets after they were refused entry to a free viewing of the fight at the San Andres Sports Complex.
The stadium had been filled to its capacity of 8,000, prompting personnel of the Manila Recreations Bureau to close all four crowded gates, as early as 7 a.m.
Retired soldier Jose Acosta Jr., 64, said he came to watch the match for free and waved his ID papers and a ticket to marshals but his pleas to be admitted were ignored.
“I am just one old man. I am also a retired soldier. They should take pity on me,” Acosta told the Inquirer.
Others lamented that some of those without tickets were allowed to enter first. Jeannette I. Andrade
Watching from trees
A group of men in shorts and slippers were so excited about the fight that they literally climbed a tree for a better view.
Others stood on a “kariton” or wooden cart, while a few clambered up the steel gates of the Pasig City Hall, risking life and limb, to watch the LCD screen showing satellite feed of the bout.
Officials had mounted two monitors in tents in front of the Pasig City Sports Center for people who could not get into the 5,000-seat stadium, which was filled to capacity.
Queues to the free showing had reached several blocks away from City Hall as early as 7 a.m. DJ Yap
‘Palaro’ games suspended
They waited for nearly four hours but it was over in just six minutes.
But jubilation still swept restaurants, shopping malls and gymnasiums across the Visayas when Pacquiao stopped Hatton in two rounds.
The fight prompted the suspension of some of the games of the Palarong Pambansa as a giant screen, normally used to monitor various events of the Palaro at the Tacloban City Convention Center, was used for the showing of the pay-for-view match.
The big crowd included athletes themselves.
Traffic was greatly reduced in key Visayan cities as people stayed home to watch the fight.
But while most streets in Cebu City were empty, a stretch along D. Jakosalem Street fronting the LGC Marketing building teemed with people. LGC Marketing had brought out three 21-inch TV sets to show the fight.
Msgr. Esteban Binghay, the epicospal vicar of the Cebu Archdiocese, said he shortened his Mass at Carcar City’s Theotokos Diocesan Shrine because the people were eager to know the result of the fight.
He said attendance was also down by half.
In Iloilo City, thousands flocked to public gymnasiums in Jaro, Arevalo and Molo districts to watch the bout for free. The screenings were sponsored by officials led by Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez, his son Iloilo Rep. Raul Gonzalez Jr. and Mayor Jerry Treñas.
Anticipating a grueling match, many spectators brought sandwiches, juice drinks and beer.
“Bitin (It was over too soon),” said Josepha Dingcong, 53, who had waited for four hours to see the bout.
Sally Biansong, a vendor of salted peanuts, was also unhappy that the fight ended early. “I only sold P50 worth of peanuts because of the short match,” she said.
In Bacolod City, traffic ground to a halt, the police went on alert and sermons ended early as people rushed home to catch the Pacquiao fight.
Residents in Antique watched the fight for free at the Biniarayan Sports Complex. Nestor P. Burgos Jr., Jhunnex Napallacan, Lito Tecson, Joey Gabieta, Carla Gomez and Jani Arnaiz, Inquirer Visayas
No rest for soldiers
Thousands of soldiers and civilian volunteers in Sulu and Basilan had to make some sacrifices and missed the fight to answer the call of duty.
Lt. Col. Edgard Arevalo, spokesperson for the Sulu kidnapping crisis, said many soldiers were “longing to watch this fight live but because of the ongoing pursuit operation in Sulu, many of our personnel had to sacrifice.”
About 8,000 soldiers, police and civilian volunteers are involved in the search for kidnapped Italian engineer Eugenio Vagni.
“We will just watch the fight later because we are at the height of operation,” said Senior Supt. Julasirim Kasim, Sulu police chief.
In Basilan, Rear Adm. Alexander Pama, commander of Naval Forces Western Mindanao, said troops carried radios with them “so they can only listen to the fight if there’s a radio signal in their respective areas.”
Kidnappers are still holding six hostages in the province.
Pama and Arevalo said they had the fight recorded and compact disc copies would be sent to the troops in the field later. Julie S. Alipala, Inquirer Mindanao
Darkness in Bicol areas
The Albay Electric Cooperative said it had received many phone calls from consumers requesting them to fix electric lines immediately so they could watch the fight.
About 50 phone calls were received by the desk until noontime Sunday.
Some villages in Camalig town in Albay experienced power outages due to Tropical Storm “Dante,” “so I failed to watch Manny’s live fight,” said Anton Llandelar, a computer technician of Camalig.
Gov. Joey Salceda said the fight was “a brief distraction” from the storm, but it gave little relief.
“The earlier we return to work and rebuild our farms, the better,” he said. “What we need here is relief goods not emotional relief.”
In Batangas, a 64-year-old tricycle driver, Francisco Lalongisip, died of a heart attack while watching his idol battle Hatton on TV at his neighbor’s house in San Pascual town, police said. Romulo Ponte, Maricar Cinco, Marrah Lesaba, Jonas Cabiles Soltes, Ephraim Aguilar, Rey Nasol and Joanna Los Baños and Geral Querubin, Inquirer Southern Luzon
Jubilation in Luzon
In Luzon, the jubilance of jeepney and tricycle drivers and vendors was shared by local officials and politicians as they watched Pacquiao knock out Hatton.
But Pacquiao fans expecting a brawl were dismayed that the fight did not go the distance.
In Nueva Ecija, some overseas Filipino workers in Alberta, Canada, in messages sent online, said they were disappointed that they did not see an exciting fight, which had been billed as a “war between the East and the West.”
