Manny Pacquiao

Batman has once said, "A hero can be anyone. Even a man doing something as simple and reassuring as putting a coat around a young boy's shoulders, to let him know the world hadn't ended." Society sometimes sees heroes as only a masked crusader such as Batman or celebrities who may not be the best role models. Sometimes the most humble of people who do their work not for all the fame and glory in the world, but for the betterment of the people around them as a whole, even if it is only a little act of compassion, are our true heroes.  Manny Pacquiao is a man who can do it all. From one aspect he is a:"prize-winning boxer, the five-foot, six-inch tall Manny Pacquiao's nicknames are Pac-man and the Destroyer. Pacquiao is the first boxer ever to win ten world titles in eight different weight divisions. He has been described as being the toughest man alive, pound for pound. He has a record of fifty-four wins, three losses, and two draws" ("Manny Pacquiao." Newsmakers. Vol. 1. ).Although he has multitudes of success in the ring Pacquiao has a whole different side to him. A hero must be compassionate, a symbol of hope, generous, intelligent, hardworking, and determined. Manny Pacquiao easily meets all these requirements and more. Pacquiao may be the best pound for pound fighter in the world, but even with all the wealth and fame, Pacquiao knows what it is like to suffer and be poor. With all his life experiences he has become an inspiration to his country by being a symbol of hope, overcoming adversity, through philanthropy, all to change the perspective of his country as a whole. 

Manny Pacquiao over the years has become that symbol of hope for his country like the bat symbol cast across the sky, showing the citizens that their hero is here and they can feel safer, even if only a little bit. The Philippines is a country viewed as "third-world," ridden with violence and poverty, it is as if this country is yearning for someone or something to pull them out of the dumps. With his success in the ring Pacquaio is able to promote other important aspects of his life as well using his popularity for good: "Manny Pacquiao becomes an instant ambassador of goodwill for the Philippines. His words and pronouncements are heard, read and seen all over the world. He can promote the country as a peaceful place to stay or visit and he can tell the world that the Philippines can survive the current world economic slowdown or he can effectively promote the country as the best investment area in this part of the world" ("Zero Crime Rate in the Philippines during Pacquiao Boxing Match?" Digital Journal). Due to his success in the ring Manny is able to become a great ambassador for his country. He is the "ambassador of goodwill" through his kind manner towards everyone changing people's perspective of the country. He makes the Philippines seem from a third world country to "a peaceful place to stay or visit," giving his fellow countrymen hope that the area they live in is not so bad after all and that they should be proud of where they come from. Manny's fans from the Philippines show so much support for him and it astonishes some observers: ""'Why do they love you so much?'' Pacquiao was asked after his workout Wednesday. ''I think this is about pride and trust,'' Pacquiao said. "We have so much bad news back home.The people suffer so much. They have so little hope. So maybe it's because I bring them good news''" ("Izenberg: Manny Pacquiao a National Hero to Filipinos Here and in Homeland." Nj.com.). Pacquaio's country men have the uttermost faith in him, and with this he has easily became their biggest hero. It can be difficult to give a country stricken with poverty, corruption, violence, and hunger "good news," but every day Pacquiao works at it . Manny does his best to make sure that if he can give just glimmers of hope to those who look up to him he knows he has done his job. Manny Pacquiao consistently does just that through politics, generosity, and in the ring. Pacquiao wouldn't be able to do all this without his experiences from his childhood.

Climbing out of the depths of poverty is a struggle many cannot overcome, although with hard work and determination Manny Pacquiao came out with an experience that shaped the man he is today. Pacquiao had a single mother and a family of six, with this unfortunate situation he had to scavenge what he could: "Manny for the dropout, swept up and racked balls at billiard shacks for tips, as well as sold cigarettes and pan de sal on the streets. He was known to give his unsold bread to poor children" (Gary Andrew Poole). Manny Pacquiao suffered a tougher life than most of us can even fathom. He had to multiple tasks only to come up with a little bit of money to help out his family as best as he could. Even through all his struggles Manny Pacquiao still also looked to help the unfortunate, "He was known to give his unsold break to poor children." This shows the type of character he had even when life wasn't going for him at that age, and still to this day. Manny Pacquiao cane from the Southern Mindaneo islands of the Philippines one of the country's most poor areas: "this makes Pacquiao's life story even more profound to his countrymen.Filipinos see him, at the height of his career and worldwide celebrity, as a demigod who emerged from the city of dust" (Gary Andrew Poole). Being from a third world country is tough enough, but also coming from "one of the country's most violent and poor" just shows how tough of a predicament Pacquiao was in. His story makes it "even more profound to his countrymen" which makes him even more of a hero to them all, and has gained him a great amount of respect that all heroes have. Through this struggle he has become an image of a "worldwide celebrity, as a demigod who emerged from the city of dust." Through overcoming adversity as many superheroes have to do, similar to them Manny Pacquiao has come out even stronger and has overall become a better man from the whole endeavor. Knowing what it is like to suffer through poverty Manny Pacquiao helps his community greatly.

Even with all the fame and wealth, Manny Pacquiao is able to return to his roots and give back to the community both humbly and generously just as any superhero would. Back in his home country of the Philippines, Manny does many things to try and improve the situations there:  "He has fed the poor. He has built a school. I know how much he gives away. He believes God has touched him as an instrument to help the poor''" ("Izenberg: Manny Pacquiao a National Hero to Filipinos Here and in Homeland." Nj.com). Even with all the fame Manny gives what he can to the less fortunate. He shows both sympathy and empathy to those around him like any hero should and does. Manny Pacquiao does not only just leave an impact through charity work he works hard to improve the economic situation for the whole country: "Pacquiao has already involved himself politically.in US-Filipino relations. US President Barack Obama watched Pacquiao's latest fight. he also used the visit to press home a point about US-Filipino import/export relations in the textile industry.with the law having changed with benefit to both countries. It is said that it has made an impact on 400,000 Filipinos Pacquiao's generosity knows no bounds" ("When Manny Pacquiao Speaks, a Nation Listens." The Telegraph). Pacquiao's generosity doesn't just stop at charity work. He has a huge impact on the political scene, with his main goal to improve life for all citizens of the Philippines. He finds a way to improve the struggling economy that impacts the whole country by finding creative ways such as improving the textile industry to boost his country's economy. Like any other superhero Pacquiao knows what he needs to improve the lives around him. Everyone knows that "Pacquiao's generosity knows no bounds." The PacMan knows what it's like to be poor and suffering so he does his best through multiple acts of kindness to ensure more people won't experience what he had to go through himself. 

With hard work, determination, compassion, generosity and countless other traits Manny Pacquiao has been able to use his gifts to better the world. Through philanthropy, being a symbol of hope, and overcoming adversity he has been able to change the perspective of a third world country as a whole. The Pacman through his life has overcome the slums of the Philippines to be successful both in the ring and life. Manny Pacquiao's actions inspire a whole country. He gathers the Philippines together as one during fights, helps the impoverished, and tries to save his countries government from corruption and economic downfall. Personally, being a Filipino, Manny Pacquiao is truly an inspiration. Most of the time you do not see many huge or important Filipino stars, although Manny Pacquiao gives me something to be proud of for what I am. He gives to me what most kids struggle with these days which is being proud of where they come from. "A hero can be anyone" (Batman). Even though he is just a character in the comic books and movies he is absolutely correct. We see celebrities and superheroes as ones to be looked toward as our role model and heroes. Although most of us need to look deeper to find the people who do the true works of compassion. Manny Pacquiao knows that: "It's always the same - crime, corruption, typhoons, landslides. The people suffer so much. They have so little hope. So maybe it's because I bring them good news.''" So maybe we should all challenge ourselves to be like Manny Pacquiao. Everyone loves having all the glory and fame. Although at the end of the day, the most important thing in life is our connections with others. It's keeping everyone in our lives whether we know them or not, happy. That is what Manny Pacquiao is a true champion at.

Works Cited

Davies, Gareth A. "When Manny Pacquiao Speaks, a Nation Listens." The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group, 18 May 2011. Web. 23 Mar. 2014.

Izenberg, Jerry. "Izenberg: Manny Pacquiao a National Hero to Filipinos Here and in Homeland." Nj.com. New Jersey On-Line, 12 Nov. 2009. Web. 23 Mar. 2014.

"Manny Pacquiao." Newsmakers. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 2010. Biography in Context. Web. 23 Mar. 2014.

Poole, Gary Andrew. PacMan: Behind the Scenes with Manny Pacquiao: The Greatest Pound-for-pound Fighter in the World. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo, 2010. Print.

Reyes, Leo. "Zero Crime Rate in the Philippines during Pacquiao Boxing Match?" Digital Journal. Digitaljournal.com, 5 Dec. 2008. Web. 23 Mar. 2014.