Amidsts the victory of Filipino Boxer Manny Pacquiao over heavily favored World renowned boxer Oscar De La Hoya, the issue on corruption continues to hound the Philippines. No less than Jaro Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, the President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) stated that the observance of the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a source of “shame and embarrassment” for Filipinos. In a statement issued, the prelate said “ we are ashame, and we hope it is not completely true that our country is said to be the most corrupt in Asia and the second most corrupt in the world. This is because of human rights violations in various degrees.”
The triumph of Manny Pacquiao reverses (at least for now) the international communities’ negative perception on the Philippines. The fact that a Filipino is a world boxing champion makes every Filipino proud of his race and nation. Pacquiao is now a source of hope and inspiration. He is now the country’s saving grace. As global recession is being gradually felt by all of us, something positive is being said about the Philppines because of Manny’s feat. If Filipinos were united in supporting Manny Paquiao’s fight against his Mexican-American opponent, much more should we remain solid in the fight against injustice, poverty and ignorance.
