Pacquiao, who cemented his status as the world’s best pound-for-pound fighter in his masterful eight-round conquest of Oscar de la Hoya in their Dream Match in Las Vegas Sunday, drew waves of screaming adulation from people lining the streets along the route of the caravan.
The Filipino ring idol, in a white shirt, was atop a mini-truck carrying 19 other people including Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Lito Atienza.
The motorcade started at a little past 10 a.m. from the DENR office in Quezon City where Pacquiao had breakfast after paying Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr. a visit at nearby City Hall.
Pacquiao was mobbed by officials and employees of City Hall and DENR.
In the motorcade, Pacquiao gamely acknowledged the cheers of his fans, opting not to take shelter even as members of the convoy began taking out umbrellas to shield themselves from the rain.
A radio report said that in some schools where Pacquiao’s convoy passed, students stormed out of their classrooms, unfurling banners to greet him.
Atienza, who organized the event, said the atmosphere was a lot more festive than the previous Pacquiao motorcades.
The fighter was feted with a sumptuous breakfast of fried rice, beef tapa, adobo, scrambled eggs, danggit (dried fish) and fruits by Atienza.
Afterwards, Pacquiao announced a donation of P100,000 to efforts to save the Philippine eagle while also reiterating his support to save the environment.
“There is no other bird like the Philippine eagle in the world. So we must do our best to take care of it and the environment and make sure they flourish,” said Pacquiao in Filipino.
Atienza said it was Pacquiao’s fourth donation to the effort to save the endangered bird of prey.
“Manny is our perfect defender of the environment because he is the number one natural resource that we have,” Atienza said.
Meantime, Pacquiao said he is also open to brokering peace in Mindanao, which has been battered by a protracted “war” that has killed scores and displaced millions of people.
Pacquiao, who has managed to unite the entire nation every time he goes into the ring, said he would always support any effort to achieve peace not only in Mindanao, but in the whole country.
Pacquiao was reacting to a proposal of a group advocating lasting peace in Mindanao to include him in the peace negotiations between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
The People’s Coalition for Peace believes Pacquiao, who hails from General Santos City, should now move to “a new level” outside the ring – as broker for peace to end the long-standing armed conflict in Mindanao.
“I have no problem with that. I am open to help and give my support to the achievement of peace for our country,” said Pacquiao.
He then appealed to both the military and MILF to keep their cool and focus on finding a peaceful solution to the problem.
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