Op-Ed: Why Pacquiao Opposed Random Drug-Testing

Ever wonder why WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao has filed defamation cases against his detractors? It all boils down to Filipino pride. Period.

Sports columnist Lorne Scoggins (http://bleacherreport.com), who is married to a Filipina, was right saying that when WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao, for the third time in a decade the ESPN’s ‘Fighter of the Year’ and Ringtalk.com’s ‘Fighter of the Decade,’ opposed random drug testing, it had something to do with Filipino honor. Nowhere is this Filipino pride more ensconced than in the Philippine national anthem: “Ang mamatay nang dahil sa iyo!” (To die in your name). In fact, Filipinos, at times, wanting to inject humor into this sensitive culture, calls such trait as ‘pride chicken,’ a pun intended to humor that a Pinoy does not really mind being called a coward in defense of a priceless legacy he calls ‘pride.’ It is known among Tagalogs as ‘dangal’ (honor) or ‘garbo” (pride) in the Visayan regions. The Filipino is a hardy race, brave, principled and committed even in the absence of a written contract. He fights for strangers if they are being wronged (even in war), and he dies for friends if such gesture means displaying his sincerity. Beyond poverty, politics, and problems, never hurt Filipino pride. When he battles for his name, win or lose, he makes sure he fights fairly—even if he is outmatched. Floyd Mayweather and his gang, from day one, had always believed that money is the be-all in any engagement, that retaining a clean 40-0 slate means getting the higher purse, and that getting the best arrangements in a deal is to bend the existing rules in their favor. In the annals of Philippine sports, only one incident of dope-testing failure (as far as we can remember) has been recorded. But it was not due to PEDs, ‘roids and illegal drugs. A martial artist was tested positive of a substance that came from a reducing pill! Still, in the name of Filipino pride and in respect of the rules, she accepted the suspension gracefully. She was a Filipina winner and she was not a great defensive boxer. It’s not uncommon that a Filipino father fights for family pride when his daughter is being mistreated. And it is not rare for a Filipino to be furious at a guy who accuses his mother of being a bitch, even if it is only in expletive. Mayweather Sr., as a father, does not have that kind of pride. He went to jail for peddling illegal substance because he cares less about what happened to people who bought drugs from him and what the people say about his legacy towards Junior and the family. Boxing, a sport created for men who abide by the Queensberry rules, is sadly depleted of warriors who know how to respect regulations. In fact, it has been called the ‘red district’ of sports for despicable reasons—bum decisions, questionable judges, favored referees, rigged matches, and manipulated rankings. For a clean guy like Pacquiao who is recognized as king of the ring, such rise should always elicit jealousy even if the existing rules in a fight between gladiators have been popularly accepted as fair. Green-eyed guys do not only look for green bucks, they also look for ways to tilt the balance in their favor. That’s what you call greed. You can call a Filipino just about anything, but, please, don’t hurt his pride for that can be decisive and, at times, fatal. The Mayweathers and their handlers should know more about Filipino pride even if their superiority complex is consuming them. Yes, there are cheats in government as there is honor among thieves. But accusing Pacquiao, the God-fearing Filipino pride, of drug dependence even he has not been found to have embraced inappropriate and unsportsmanlike practices, is simply outrageous. Comparing Pacquiao and Mayweather in terms of character, to be blunt about it, does not need a doctorate degree.