By Ronnie Nathanielsz

Filipino boxing idol Manny Pacquiao has been voted as one of the 100 most influential people in the world by the prestigious Time Magazine which effectively puts an exclamation mark on the incredible attention given Pacquiao by both the Philippine and international media.

With no less than former heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis of Britain penning the article on Pacquiao, it is clear how much respect Time Magazine has given Manny who is among the Heroes & Icons in sports which included Tiger Woods and Rafael Nadal and such eminent individuals as President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama.

Two years ago Time Magazine Asia on its 60th anniversary chose all-time billiards great Efren “Bata” Reyes and former President Cory Aquino as among 60 Heroes of Asia but the recognition given Pacquiao surpasses even that.

As Lewis wrote “ Pound for pound, Manny Pacquiao is the best boxer in the world. But even more important than holding that distinction, Manny has connected with the people of his home country, the Philippines , to the point where he's almost like a god. The people have rallied behind him and feel like they're a part of him, because they can see his talent, his dedication, his grace and his class. The grip he holds over the Philippines is similar to Nelson Mandela's influence in South Africa . I can surely see Manny becoming the Philippine President one day. ”

The views of Lewis about Pacquiao becoming President isn’t something new. It’s a genuine assessment of Top Rank promoter Bob Arum who is an astute analyst not merely of boxing, a sport in which he has emerged as the most influential himself, but someone who draws from his years working for the administration of the late John F. Kennedy.

In the final pre-fight press conference at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Arum continued his line that Pacquiao would someday be President of the Philippines when he said “just remember, Freddie Roach, Manny’s trainer, is training the future president of the Philippines” which was carried by media around the world and has surfaced as a recurring theme in most accounts of Pacquiao’s dramatic and emotional rags-to-riches story.

When he visited Britain including his opponent Ricky “The Hitman” Hatton’s hometown of Manchester where Hatton has a fanatical following, “The Hitman” admitted that Pacquiao was the bigger hit among the fans. The British media which is known to be hard-nosed and often a little difficult were this time around totally enamored with Pacquiao.

He was a runaway winner of an ESPN Star Sports poll of Asian superstars late last year and is a regular feature on its popular ESPN Sportscenter program nightly.

CNN not only did a special interview with Pacquiao on its popular "Talk Asia" program hosted by Angeli Rao it carries regular updates on all facets of Manny’s pre-fight activities.

HBO crews have been flown to his hometown of General Santos City and followed him to Cebu and Manila to film his training, get a feel of where and how he lives and have shown up at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles to mirror a story that has gripped the imagination of the networks and people around the world.

Every other boxing website and sports section of newspapers in the US runs reams and reams of stories on Pacquiao and with the large interest shown in the Hatton fight,  the viewing and reading public in Britain have come to know Pacquiao and been acquainted with his life story through radio, television and the newspapers with Gareth Davies of the Daily Telegraph among others devoting time and considerable space to Pacquiao.

Even BBC Sport has carried a number of stories on Pacquiao and just yesterday had well known writer Ben Dirs profile Pacquiao in an article titled “Pacquiao – a Philippine Goliath.”
 
Here at home there is a media frenzy around Pacquiao which picks up tempo the moment a fight is announced and draws near. Stories, feature articles and extensive coverage by the two leading networks ABS-CBN and GMA 7 are a daily fare in the newscasts as they strive to outdo each other in telling the day-to-say story of Manny.
 
QTV also reflected the Pacquiao phenomenon when its program on internet sites and the attention given Pacquiao was featured in a segment on Thursday right after the news.
 
The Pacquiao story that  centers around his preparation for a fight so eloquently and dramatically presented by HBO in its 24/7 series and the fight itself is not confined to boxing alone because much has been told and re-told of Pacquiao’s kind-hearted and forgiving ways and his many laudable charitable projects.
 
As Bob Arum pointed out “People wonder why this fight is becoming the success that it is.  I think there is one reason that has made this the event that it is and that is that people have learned about Manny Pacquiao.”

He noted that “the Philippines has the best social welfare system in the world and it is called Manny Pacquiao.”