Hard To Place Bets

‘Everyone Wants To Go To The US Because of Manny Pacquiao’

By ALEX P. VIDAL

A Department of Homeland Security and the United States Customs and Boarder Protection (DHS-USCBP) officer in Los Angeles, California, USA said they have noticed an “unusual” number of Filipinos entering the United States in the past days “only to watch the fight of Manny Pacquiao.”

The officer, who asked not to be named if the story will come out in the media, said they have interviewed and approved the admission papers of several Filipinos that arrived in Los Angeles recently. Many of them claimed they are here for the boxing championship either as spectators, journalists and “members of the boxing entourage.”

“It seems that every time Pacquiao has a fight here, many Filipinos want to come to the United States,” he stressed. He also thought Pacquiao would be fighting Erik Morales on March 15 in Las Vegas.

When told that the Filipino lefty will face World Boxing Council (WBC) superfeather-weight champion Juan Manuel Marquez in a 12-round championship showdown, he quipped: “Is Pacquiao not fighting Morales? I thought he will fight Morales. How about his fight with Morales?”

“Manny Pacquiao has already fought Erik Morales three times and Pacquiao beat him twice by knockout,” this writer informed the DHS-USCBP officer.

Among the “spectators” and “members of the entourage” who arrived on board PAL flight 102 from Manila last Thursday night (March 6) in Los Angeles were showbiz couple Rudy Fernandez and Lorna Tolentino and Jinky Pacquiao, wife of the Filipino superstar, and her three companions.

Others who are expected to plane in for the Marquez-Pacquiao rematch at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas are Sen. Ramon Revilla, Jr., former governor Chavit Singson, comedians Tito, Vic and Joey and several other politicians from Metro Manila, Visayas and Mindanao. Some Filipino journalists from GMA-7, Manila Bulletin, Philippine Star, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Philboxing, among other media outfits and boxing websites, have been here (Los Angeles) since March 3.

Meanwhile, several members of the Filipino-American community in California have confirmed the betting his heavily stacked against Marquez.

“Here in L.A., nobody from the Filipino-American community believes that Pacquiao will lose. In fact, the betting is whether or not Marquez will survive beyond five rounds,” said 45-year-old Lynon Cortez, a bank armored security staff.

Tomas Paynor, 56, another boxing enthusiast, said they are finding it hard to place a bet among Latino-speaking residents, “because they themselves are not confident of a Marquez victory.” /MP