The magic of possibilities
by Jo Anne Villarosa Coruña

It was a clear Sunday morning, but over the Philippines, the clouds seemed darker than usual, despite the glaring sun. The impossible seemed to have happened: Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao got knocked out on the last second of the sixth round in his match against Juan Manuel Marquez. That split second replays in my mind and chokes me a little every time. We all felt that punch, we all felt our knees buckle, and we all fell down, face flat on the floor. Even if it just happened yesterday, in our minds, it has already been immortalized as being “that day” - that day when The Pacman fell, that day when the whole nation was stunned and in shock, that day when the impossible happened.

But. The reality is, Manny Pacquiao has given us more - so much more - than that day. To begin with, let us not forget the ten world titles in eight divisions that The Pacman has brought home. More than that, let us not forget the high-fives, the pulutan and the beer for breakfasts, the silent streets bursting with cheer and shouts of victory, the family time spent together watching the Filipino icon land every mighty punch, the high of the knock out on that second round, those long and suspense-filled twelve rounds, the unbelievable speed in every fight, the rush of hearing the Eye of the Tiger blast in the arena, in restaurants, and in our homes. Even more than those, for every match, there was always the anticipation of a good fight; the excitement shared by every Filipino everywhere - in the Philippines, in the US, in Italy, in Dubai - literally everywhere; the hope that permeated each and every Filipino heart; and the solid belief that we can win, that it can be our fight, and the countless times The Pacman has made that belief an actual reality. 

The true magic of The Pacman is his ability to bring Filipinos together. The magic that for one day, wherever and whoever you are, whatever your station in life, if you are Filipino, you are rooting for the same man, you are hoping for the same win, and you are feeling the punches, both given and received. For one day, for a brief few hours, a pedicab driver has his eyes on the same prize as the guy who drives a Porsche. For those few hours, it doesn’t matter if you’re watching the fight in a room full of strangers, or in the comfort of your own home, or in a gymnasium with a projector. For those few hours, we are all watching as Filipinos and as one nation. And we are all hoping for the same thing, the same win.

And if the win doesn’t come - like it didn’t yesterday, we are all indeed heartbroken, yes, but we are also all still holding on, not giving up, slowly getting up. And this, this shared mindset across the nation and across seas, among Filipinos, this is the true magic, this is what we truly need. The pride of being Filipino must come with the pride of being one with Filipinos. It must come with the pride of sharing a culture with fellow Filipinos. This shared mindset must extend to shared hearts - amidst tragedy, calamities, poverty. To be a proud Filipino is to be compassionate towards your fellow Filipino. To not only sympathize when bad things happen to the country and our people, but to empathize and actually feel those bad things ourselves and do something about them, however small. To be a proud Filipino is to be proud of a fellow Filipino’s accomplishments, to offer support and root for your fellow Filipino’s success, without any hint of envy or destructive criticism. The pride of being Filipino must not focus on the individual, on the self, but on the collective experience of all Filipinos everywhere.

The magic of The Pacman is this shared experience that brings all Filipinos together. The magic of The Pacman isn’t that he always wins every fight; the magic is the way he fights - all heart, with much humility, and grace in the end, whatever the outcome. The magic is the truth that every Filipino is capable of such. Beyond politics, profits, and promoters, The Pacman teaches us all one thing: when you fall, you get up, and you go back to training, you go back to fighting.

I would like to think that the seeming impossibility of Manny Pacquiao’s defeat has paved the way for the possibility of a more unified nation, a deeper bond among all Filipinos, and even more strength and hope to carry on and face every fight. Let’s root for each other. Until we can all share in one sweet victory, in and outside the boxing ring.