PACQUIAO VOWS FIGHT VERSUS POVERTY
PACQUIAO VOWS FIGHT VERSUS POVERTY
Erle Frayne D. Argonza
Good morning from the Pearl of the Orient!
Manny ‘Pacman’ Pacquiao, world’s best boxer pound-per-pound and the greatest boxer of the century, just defeated California’s prized fighter Mosley. The fight didn’t only highlight the prowess of the world’s best—and that best could extend to being the world’s top athlete today—but more importantly it heralded Pacquiao’s vow versus poverty in the Philippines.
“Boxing isn’t the greatest fight of my life,” declared the Pacman in front of media. “More than boxing, the greatest fight of my life is to end poverty in the Philippines,” he succinctly proclaimed. For a man who originated from the ‘poorest of the poor’ and who rose like a phoenix in a meteoric ascent to global fame and glory, he knows what he is talking about.
I am optimistic the Pacman will give muscles to his words, walk the talk, and redistribute wealth through two sources: (a) the personal wealth he gained from boxing, entertainment, and modeling for commercial products, a wealth that will continue to accumulate in the years ahead; and, (b) national budgetary appropriations, which he will partly approve as a member of the House of Representatives.
Truly one of the most colorful personalities of this century, Pacman’s value formation seems to have molded him well. From out of his personal wealth, he shares bounties to the poor folks—from the athletes who became poor with their decline from fame, to the underclasses who receive benefits through his foundations. He is a compassionate fighter and citizen, making him one of the exemplars for our youth all over the planet.
Poverty and hunger are ailments that been badly addressed in the Philippines across the many decades of development (the development programs began in 1948 yet). Now a middle class economy, the Philippines just might be trapped in the middle class category as it continues to falter in addressing mass poverty.
The factors contributing to poverty & hunger are complex, as they range from the public policy through institutional strength factors. And there’s the demographic factor of rapid population growth, as 2,000,000 new babies are born each year in the country alone (that doesn’t include those born to the 10 Million overseas Filipinos). Such factors continue to drag down PH esteem as it suffers from unimpressive credit ratings, high corruption index, low global competitiveness, and related global ratings.
Sometimes a country would need some superhero types to shore up the drive to salve lingering ailments. And for the Philippines, luck had struck it as one such exemplary figure, the Pacman of the planet, is dipping his hands to enable the achievement by poor folks of the Impossible Dream.
[Philippines, 12 May 2011]
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Tags: Argonza. technorati, boxing, champion, Mosley, Pacquiao, poverty, psychology, sociology, sports, sportscience
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UNLADTAU 
January 31, 2012 at 3:50 am
I was browsing around the net, looking for some nice stuff to read when I suddenly came in contact with this site: kayamo.org. I’ve read some of your posts and was clearly inspired on how we can survive in this fast changing world where money plays a vital role. “Money isn’t everything” –I’ve always believed in this saying. However, when we are in the midst of a situation wherein our loved ones are already starving to death –ika nga, luwa na ang mata sa gutom—can we still believe in that phrase? I realized that the answer to that is quite simple. Yes, we could.
I was not aware that I have the ability to produce enough money to meet my daughter’s and my own needs until during the tithing settlement that I had with my bishop (as you may note, I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as Mormons). The total amount that I had was way beyond than what I imagined. I guess this only means one thing: with a simple job, I was able buy my family’s needs and some wants. “Mahirap ang buhay” –this saying could be true to some. But with constant prayer, hard work and positivity in life, it’s not that difficult at all. The journey of life goes on; we must be optimistic and continue to press forward.
Thank you for this very inspiring site, I do hope that more readers can reach this and be motivated to have a happier and more meaningful life –not purely basing their success and happiness on the amount of money they could earn. Always strive for the best but when things get a little rough, you can rest but must not quit.
In conclusion to this short note, let me share you my favorite poem entitled Don’t Quit: (I hope that this could inspire you just as how it inspired me)
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must, but don’t you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don’t give up though the pace seems slow–
You may succeed with another blow.
Often the goal is nearer than,
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up,
When he might have captured the victor’s cup,
And he learned too late when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out–
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far,
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit–
It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit.
– Unknown Author