Redeeming a Nation One Punch at a Time

Exactly a week after that painful loss by Pacquiao to Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez: Nonito 'The Filipino Flash' Donaire redeemed the flag with his incredible show of strength and heart against another Mexican, Jorge Arce.

Incidentally, both fights ended with Knock-Out victories and at 2:59 in the 6th and 3rd rounds of the bouts, respectively.

Sports analysts now predict that Donaire will elevate in the pound-for-pound ranking, aside from being a favourite for the title 'Fighter of the Year.' Note that Nonito has fought four times this year and won in all these fights. Magnanimous!

Clearly, Flash has spiralled into one of Philippine Sports' most prized possessions, but will he be the new Pacquiao?

Based on their resumes, both fighters have clearly gone a long way- from proteges to sensations and champs. But the comparison becomes uneven as Pacquiao is a native Filipino who grew up from a less privileged family in GenSan. He tried boxing at an early age to help his family. He has been an underdog and was for some time, considered a nobody. But with his perseverance, he made a name for himself, a name that is synonymous to a champion and a name that represents the country.

Whereas, Nonito, while born in Bohol, has had a taste of the American dream. The Fil-American boxer lived in the US since he was 11, which explains his accent. He is blessed with more, they say.

Peculiar it may sound but these differences clearly draw the line between the two. We Filipinos are fond of rags to riches stories- those that succeed amid adversity. We love to be inspired. We love the story of a changed man and a public display of faith. (And of course, we love celebrity nanays-ala Mommy D and controversial wives-ala Jinkee. We also love novelty songs and luxury cars, TV shows and quirky commercial endorsements.)

But Nonito is another story, a less rated one- a story that may not appear appealing enough to the masses, but he is a winner himself- that cannot be denied. The man came back to the Philippines to give honour to his homeland, as Pacquiao did. He is doing a good job and he deserves credit.

But simply put, there will be no other Pacquiao as there was no other Ali. Nonito is a hero of his own. After all, all is flat above the ring and everybody wins in his own game.

In other news, the RH Bill has finally passed the  2nd reading in the House of Representatives. The Palace is now, more than ever, putting pressure on the legislative branch to pass the controversial and long-overdue bill. Will it pass the 3rd and final reading and be signed by PNoy before 2012 draws to a close? That depends on decisions and alliances between and among our representatives.

Meanwhile, the CBCP is more actively and publicly going against the appoval of the bill. In fact, their letter has been read in the mass, during the first simbang gabi.