Manny Pacquiao: Philippines' Best Ambassador of Goodwill

If there is a genuine ambassador of goodwill that the Philippines can send out to the world, it should not be the former generals who continue to hug the national scene after retirement by their questionable appointments as ambassadors to foreign lands. It should be Manny Pacquiao, the wonder boy of boxing both in the Philippines and the world, who is now in Las Vegas and poised to win another important bout against a British challenger this coming Saturday, May 2. Pacquiao, the benevolent and soft spoken boxing champion that he is, has shown to be the most qualified Filipino to go out of the country and face the world to tell everyone that Filipinos also are a remarkable people. Hopefully, Manny Pacquiao wins again against a hard-hitting Ricky Hatton. But whatever the outcome of the world boxing bout in Las Vegas this weekend, this great Filipino boxer remains the best ambassador of goodwill the country has ever had. It is not the former military generals who continue to earn the graces and gratitude of President Arroyo by getting appointments as ambassadors right after retirement, to the chagrin of career foreign service officers of the DFA.