One of Philippines gem- Filipino boxing icon and sitting senator Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao was the guest
speaker in of the world’s distinguished universities.
So many good things can be told about Manny Pacquaio and one
page would not be enough to list all the things he has done for his country.
I remember in one of his previous interview, if only he can
fight in the ring everyday he would do it, because everybody in the country
knows whenever there is a Pacquaio fight- there is peace and order- zero
criminality and you could just feel in the air even for that moment, the whole
country is one.
Senator Manny Pacquaio's speech before the Oxford Union in Great Britain (photo credit to Jinkee Pacquaio) |
In his Oxford speaking engagement he just did that- a jampacked venue absorbing everything he has
to say and share – one of Philippines fairy tale.
We are quoting in full Senator Manny Pacquaiao’s speech before
the Oxford Union in Great Britain on November 5th, 2018.
DREAMS DO COME TRUE
President Horvath and the other esteemed officials of the University of Oxford;
distinguished members of the Oxford Union, other dignitaries in attendance and
ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon.
I am the only
eight-division world boxing champion in history, having won 11 major world
titles, ranging from Flyweight, which has an 8 stone limit, to Super
Welterweight, which has an 11 stone limit. My tailor has been kept very busy
throughout my career, adjusting the waistbands of my trunks.
I have fought some of the
best fighters in history. And yet I have to admit, as I stand before you, I am
intimidated when I think of the kind of main event headliners who faced you
over the years:
• Sir Winston Churchill,
• American Presidents Reagan, Nixon and Carter,
• Mother Teresa,
• the Dalai Lama
• and Sir Elton John.
• Sir Winston Churchill,
• American Presidents Reagan, Nixon and Carter,
• Mother Teresa,
• the Dalai Lama
• and Sir Elton John.
And here am I, Emmanuel
Dapidran Pacquiao, standing before you armed with just the equivalent of a
sixth form education, an undisguised respect for what your group and your
university represent and a pretty fair left hook.
If this give-and-take today
were a “tale of the tape,” I would be a respectful underdog. But be careful. I
am not that easy to floor.
When I received your
gracious invitation, I asked myself, what could I talk about that could
possibly interest you? What could Manny Pacquiao say that would be of any
impact, much more utility, to the men and women who enjoy the highest standards
of instruction at Oxford?
The answer came fast: I know
what I should speak about, something very few among you can claim to know
about: my education, certainly non-traditional, non-formal, largely
unstructured. I will call it my education in the Open University of Life.
It is a matter of record
that I only had traditional formal schooling until Secondary School, Grade 12.
It was only recently that I
reached University level through the alternative education program.
We were dirt poor. I had to
work since the age of five, to help my mother feed my three siblings and me.
Many days, I was lucky to have one full meal. On days when we had no food, I
would drink lots of water just to fill my stomach. But my mind and spirit were
never hungry. I read anything I could get my hands on.
I even read the newspaper
that my lunch or dinner came wrapped in. I read signs everywhere, even on
moving vehicles. I learned measurements and weights by constantly reading the
rates and tariffs at the warehouses where I worked as a stevedore, a docker in
your parlance.
At night when I could not
sleep because of the cold, I would read the labels on the carton boxes that
served as my bed on the street pavement.
The movements of the
clouds, the tint of the horizon, and the clarity of the stars taught me when
morning was about to come.
And for me, the morning did
come. Warm, bright, and simply amazing ——- a lesson in what can be achieved if
you have determination … if you ignore the odds against you …and as you are
taught here at this magnificent institution never, ever quit.
Think of David and Goliath.
Look at me. I am not very big and I never had five smooth stones to throw at
any obstacle, but determination Is a power tool. I won a lot of fights.
Since 2016, I have been a
sitting member of the Philippine Senate, having received the direct vote of
over 16 million Filipinos. As such, I participate in debates that result in the
passage of legislation which determines the course of our country’s history and,
indirectly, the world’s.
I do not fault anyone who
views me as singularly ill-equipped for this role. Instead, I ask: is there
anyone more knowledgeable than this humble civil servant about the hardships
incident to the way of life of the majority of our people? Who among my
colleagues have faced poverty face to face from birth? Whose life’s work has it
been to battle illiteracy?
In crafting effective laws,
there is no better guide than the pulse of the masses.
I may not have financial
acuity. I may not be historically fluent. I may not even be socially adept. But
I am philosophically rooted in my personal adversities, which morally bind me
to the general struggle of our people.
I am a fighter, not just
because it is my profession. I was a fighter long before I first set foot in a
boxing ring. All my life I have fought to live. Every single day in my youth, I
fought for survival. Now, I do it and get paid for it. Then, I was lucky to get
a piece of bread for it.
But how are my struggles of
any value to the Filipinos? It cannot feed or clothe all of them. No matter how
much I give financially, hundreds of thousands more remain wanting.
In 2013, in the aftermath
of Category 5 super typhoon Haiyan (locally remembered as Yolanda), the
deadliest typhoon to devastate my country, leaving a record of more than 6,000
dead, I went to Tacloban and visited a nightmare.
The place was a virtual
ghost town. Everyone had lost someone from their family; others, their entire
family. No property was spared. There were bodies everywhere. There was no
food, no water, no electricity. Each face I looked into bore the same
expression: defeat. Not a single person there thought that they could ever
recover from that tragedy.
I thought to myself, I can
give millions, as have many other donors from all over the world, but no amount
of money can give these people hope. I, too, fought against despair.
But then I had an idea. We
set up a makeshift basketball court and I started shooting some hoops. Then one
boy picked up the ball after one of my shots and tried a shot. Soon there were
enough of us to have a five on five matches, and we did.
The smiles, the laughter,
the whoops of joy of those boys during that game are memories forever etched in
my heart. To have lost everything overnight, including parents, siblings,
friends, but to still have the ability to rise above one’s personal loss and
reach out to your fellow man, even just in play, to find joy together, there,
at that point, in those victims’ eyes, I found hope.
Those boys, who had nothing
left, gave me hope.
Four years later, I would
see the same physical and societal devastation in Marawi. Our beautiful city of
the South was reduced to ruins by civil strife. Death and destruction broke the
hearts and backs of its residents. But not their spirit. One year later, Marawi
is now under rehabilitation.
These and other experiences
like this motivated me to answer the call of public service. I believe, in all
humility, that my life is just a snapshot, it is a glorified blow-up of what
millions of Filipinos live through on a day to day basis -- the hardships, the
challenges, the back-breaking, hope-extinguishing despair. Yet, through the
ashes of destruction, the Filipino always manages to rise up and fight another
day.
I believe that I was destined
to serve as an inspiration for the average Filipino to fight, to rise above
adversity, to conquer and defy, and to embrace life and all its difficulties.
Manny Pacquiao is the best fairy tale every Filipino could tell and re-tell to
all generations yet to come. Manny Pacquiao’s story is incredible but true.
Miracles do happen. Dreams
do come true. Being poor does not mean one must die poor. Hard work and
persistence will set you free from the shackles of poverty. But it is faith
that will take you to the very top.
That is Manny Pacquiao’s
story so I ask you -- all of you -- to never lose faith in what you can do as a
human being, belief in the loyalty of family, and belief in the Almighty. It is
not easy to believe in the power one. But I ask you to look around you. Count
the faces. Do the multiplication and suddenly we are a power of 50 or 100 or
1,000.
You, with your education,
determination, and faith you can change the world.
Maraming Salamat!
Speech delivered by
EMMANUEL D. PACQUIAO
Senator- Republic of the Philippines
before the Oxford Union, Frewin Court,
Oxford, OX1 3JB
Great Britain
On 05 November 2018
EMMANUEL D. PACQUIAO
Senator- Republic of the Philippines
before the Oxford Union, Frewin Court,
Oxford, OX1 3JB
Great Britain
On 05 November 2018
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Report from PCM GenSan Peoples Champ Movement
3 Comments
Awesome speech, very down to earth, very inspirational. I am proud to be a Filipino and will continually pray and support this humble public servant of ours and servant of the Most High God. God bless, Senstor Manny Pacquiao!
ReplyDeleteA very inspiring speech for all,to fight challenges in life in order to survive.
ReplyDeleteMay we all be inspired by the deed of this kind-hearted,fighter, generous guy. God bless you always Manny Pacquaio.
ReplyDelete