MANILA — President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo conferred Friday on boxing legend Manny Pacquiao a top national medal, the Order of Sikatuna, usually reserved for foreign diplomats and heads of state.
The pound-for-pound king will carry the rank of Datu.
Pacquiao has won seven world titles in seven weight divisions, the latest of which is his 12th round TKO win over Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto last November 14 (November 15 in the Philippines) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
The crowd chanted “Manny! Manny!” when the President finally presented the plaque to the “Pambansang Kamao (National Fist)” during the “Parangal kay Manny sa Luneta” program held at the Quirino Grandstand on Friday.
“The reason why we are here in Luneta is so that many Filipinos can come and celebrate your victory with you,” said Arroyo in Filipino.
Pacquiao thanked the President for the award and all the Filipinos who came to witness the ceremony.
Carrying the two belts he won in his recent bout, Pacquiao said: “Hindi ko po belt ito. Belt po nating lahat na mga Pilipino. Para po ito sa karangalan nating lahat (This is not my belt. This is for all of you and for the pride of Filipinos).”
Under Executive Order (EO) 236 or the Honors Code of the Philippines, the Order of Sikatuna is an “Order of diplomatic merit conferred upon individuals who have rendered exceptional and meritorious services to the Republic of the Philippines, upon diplomats, officials and nationals of foreign states who have rendered conspicuous services in fostering, developing and strengthening relations between their country and the Philippines, or upon personnel of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), both in the Home Office and in the Foreign Service.”
Among the notable recipients of the Sikatuna award were the late Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, former United States President Dwight Eisenhower, and United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
In 2006, Arroyo bestowed on Pacquiao the Order of Lakandula with the rank of “Champion for Life” after his 12-round conquest of Mexican Oscar Larios at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
Also present in Friday’s ceremony were his wife Jinkee, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, Environment Secretary Lito Atienza, and Deputy National Security Adviser Luis Chavit Singson.
The “Parangal kay Manny sa Luneta” program kicked off with a replay of his fight with Cotto courtesy of Solar Entertainment, while the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) also conducted its “Common Tao Day” where it provided free medical, dental and eye check-up.
Before the hero’s welcome in Luneta, Pacquiao had a motorcade and a mini-concert from GMA-7 television network.
Hero’s parade
During Pacquiao’s motorcade Friday, Manila’s notorious traffic came to a halt and thousands lined streets and bridges to cheer Pacquiao, who returned home pondering his next moves — facing Floyd Mayweather Jr. and seeking a congressional seat.
At 5:30 a.m. Friday, Pacquiao stepped from the plane still nursing an injured right ear and said he saw no problem facing Mayweather in the next megafight.
“I am willing to fight Mayweather as long as there’s an agreement,” the 30-year-old said. “But we don’t want to force him to fight me. He should be the one to challenge me because it was clear I had more pay-per-view than him.”
Mayweather is coming off a victory over Juan Manuel Marquez that sold more than 1 million pay-per-views, and Pacquiao’s stoppage of welterweight champion Miguel Cotto on Sunday is expected to surpass 1.2 million.
Megafight
In Las Vegas, Top Rank promoter Bob Arum is ready to begin negotiations for a megafight between the two pound-for-pound kings.
Arum, Pacquiao’s promoter, said on Thursday that his Filipino star was willing to fight at 147 pounds (67 kilograms).
Arum was waiting to hear from Golden Boy Promotions chief Richard Schaefer, who was acting as an intermediary between Top Rank and Mayweather Promotions, two companies with an acrimonious relationship. Schaefer has assisted Mayweather’s team on his most recent fights.
“I have to have discussions with our side, and when the time is right, I will be talking to Bob,” Schaefer told The Associated Press. “That will probably take place face to face, and I intend that to happen very shortly.”
Mayweather’s adviser, Leonard Ellerbe, left no doubt that Mayweather was ready to get in the ring with the man who many believe replaced him atop the best pound-for-pound list.
“Floyd has made it perfectly clear to Team Mayweather and the rest of the world that he wants to give the fans what they want, and that’s Mayweather versus Pacquiao,” Ellerbe said.
The notion that so many venues are vying for a fight that has yet to be made demonstrates how much attention the sport is receiving.
“It’s not so much that I give a damn whether this fight happens – I don’t – and for me it’s not the greatest experience doing a promotion with Floyd Mayweather,” Arum said. “But not to do this fight would slow down the momentum of boxing.”
Mainstream sponsors like Pepsi and Subway have shown interest in Pacquiao-Mayweather, one more sign the sport is returning to the popularity level in the United States that it enjoyed in the early 1980s.
“It has to happen. The stars are aligned and both fighters want it,” said HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg. “If it doesn’t, it would be devastating to the sport.”
Mayweather issued a statement on Monday in which he said, “If Manny Pacquiao wants to fight me, all he has to do is step up to the plate and say it himself.”
“The world is much more intrigued by the thought of someone fighting me who can beat me,” Mayweather added. “Manny Pacquiao’s people have done a good job of creating an image of him to be this unbelievable fighter and now the so-called guy to beat me.”
Arum promised that “my guy will make (Mayweather) fight, and once he fights, my guy will knock him out,” while Ellerbe made it perfectly clear how he sees the fight shaking out.
“At the end of the day, we already know that Floyd is the best fighter in all of boxing, and if we’re able to make a deal, he’ll just be proving it to the world,” Ellerbe said. “Nothing has changed. Pacquiao will be no different.”
Vacation
For the time being, Pacquiao said he just wants a vacation with his family. “I want to relax and my ear injury to heal,” he told reporters, saying he will soon fly to his southern home province.
From there, he said he would file his nomination for a congressional seat in next year’s elections. It will be Pacquiao’s second jab at politics after his 2007 campaign fell short.
His popularity has become overwhelming. He recently made the cover of Time magazine in Asia and is by far the most recognized person in the Philippines.
A former baker and construction worker born to a poor family, Pacquiao became an embodiment of a rags-to-riches story in the country where one-third of the 90 million people live on less than $1 a day.
Standing in a flattop truck and surrounded by his wife and the country’s environment secretary, his longtime supporter, Pacquiao waved to the crowds and threw them T-shirts emblazoned with a fist shaped in letters “MP” and draped in colors of the Philippine flag.
SOURCE: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/network/pacquiao-conferred-order-sikatuna-0
