Monday, September 24, 2007

Pinoys in Taiwan agog over Pacquiao-Barrera rematch


By Alex P. Vidal

TAIPEI -- Filipino boxing fans working in several factories here are equally excited as their countrymen in the Philippines and in the United States for the Oct. 6 (Oct. 7 in Manila) rematch between Manny Pacquiao and Marco Antonio Barrera scheduled for 12 rounds in Las Vegas, Nevada.
"Wala kaming trabaho sa Sunday (Oct. 7) kaya siguradong maka panuod kami ng laban ni Pacquiao. Pero ano'ng channel ba? (We have no work this coming Oct. 7 so it's already certain that we can watch Pacquiao's fight. But which TV channel?" quipped Salvador Henares, Jr., who works in a coal-fired factory in Mail Liao, some 300 kilometers away from here.
Henares said during weekend when they were free he and his fellow Filipino workers who love boxing always talked about Pacquiao who he said is not so much popular in this Chinese country.
Henares said other Filipino fight fans working in other areas in Taiwan also talked about Pacquiao and his upcoming megabuck duel with the extremely popular Barrera through text.
"Sometimes we shared our predictions in the e-mail if not in the text message," added Henares, a Batangueno, in Tagalog.
He predicted a Pacquio win by knockout in six rounds. "Malakas si Pacquiao at hindi kaya ni Barrera ang mga suntok nia (Pacquiao is too powerful for Barrera)," he said.
Meanwhile, members of a delegation from the Philippines traveling on a technology educational tour here, admit that "the Pacquiao-Barrera rematch is always included in the discussions of Filipinos everywhere in the world today."
"Nasa Taiwan tayo ngayon pero doon sa atin, tudo na ang pustahan kung ilang round babagsak si Barrera," said radio broadcaster Richard Sombero of Aksyon Radyo. "We are going to cover the fight live."
"Pacquiao will repeat his knockout win over Barrera," predicted Adrian Moncada, an engineer from Metrobank Group of Companies.
"Excited na ang mga Pinoy all over the world to watch the fight. Ilan kaya ang mga manood sa pay-per-view?" volunteered newspaper publisher Limuel Fernandez.
"Nasaan na kaya si Pacquiao ngayon? Nasa States na ba siya?" asked Richard Eugenio, Sr., vice president of Toledo Power Company.
In his excitement to get a pre-fight commentary from boxing analysts, an anchorman from Iloilo-based DYSI-RGMA station called up by long distance a member of the delegation just to hear from him the latest about Pacquiao's preparations.
"Can Pacquiao beat Barrera by knockout? Or will Barrera avenge his loss? what is your fearless forecast dahil two weeks na lang bakbakan na?" gushed anchorman Eric John Pamplona. "Aabangan natin ang laban na ito."

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