LOS ANGELES New York Israel Italy Chicago New Jersey Philly London San Fran

Keeping the Faith

Email | Print | Text - Text +

November 14, 2010 | 12:05 am

Manny Pacquiao is A Superstar, A Hero and My New Celebrity Crush

Posted by Ilana Angel

Photo

Congressman Manny Pacquiao

I had no idea who this guy was last week.  I had heard his name, but could not have told you anything about him.  With all the hoopla about his fight this weekend, and having seen him sing the John Lennon classic “Imagine” on Jimmy Kimmel with Will Ferrell, I decided to do a little research.

Ferrell and Pacquiao’s Imagine Duet

I found out a lot about this man, namely that I love him.  Seriously, this guy rocks.  Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao was born in 1978 in the Philippines.  He is accomplished in ways I never would have imagined.  This man is a hero and I am so impressed with him that it’s now love.

His parents divorced when he was a kid, and he is one of six children.  He is married and has four kids of his own.  He is a devout Roman Catholic, lives in the Philippines, and has achieved things are simply super hero-esque.  If my kid wants to look up to an athlete, this is the guy.

Aside from being an 8 time world champion, he is also a member of Congress in the Philippines, as well as a military reservist for the Philippine Army, with the rank of Sergeant Major.  He dropped out of school at age 14 because his single mother could not afford to take care of all her children.

In 2007 he passed his GED, and was also presented with an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Humanities.  Then, when he was preparing to be a Congressman, got certified in Development, Legislation, and Governance.  Who is this man?  He is a mensch and really remarkable.

He is an amazing boxer, but I don’t really care about that part.  I’ve actually been to a few boxing matches and I totally dug it.  In fact, my own Rabbi is a boxing champion.  While I completely understand his boxing career is impressive, it is his life outside of the ring, that is inspiring.

I want him to live happily ever after.  He is charming, funny, smart, adorable, menschy, philanthropic and has overcome a lot to achieve remarkable things.  Anyone who is down on their luck and wondering if things will get better, needs to look at Manny’s journey.

I know I’m gushing, but here’s the thing:  I am a single mother raising a boy to be a man, and finding role models for him that he respects and does not think are lame, is sometimes hard.  This is a guy that both a mother and son can admire, and that does not happen often.

Congratulations to Manny Pacquiao on his win Saturday night.  He is a stellar athlete, and whether you are a boxing fan or not, this man is amazing.  A role model to kids all over the world, he has the ability to inspire them to never give up, and always keep the faith.

44 Comments — Leave your comment

Share this post: del.icio.us Favicondel.icio.us Digg FaviconDigg Facebook FaviconFacebook Google FaviconGoogle Reddit FaviconReddit StumbleUpon FaviconStumbleUpon Technorati FaviconTechnorati YahooMyWeb FaviconYahooMyWeb

COMMENTS

We welcome your feedback. Comments may not exceed 700 characters.

Privacy Policy

Your information will not be shared or sold without your consent. Get all the details.

Pacquiao fights to inspires his fellowmen.. in the boxing ring, he is a David to a number of Goliaths.. & on Saturday night, the Good (honorable & humble Pacquiao) triumphed over the Evil (cheater & dishonest Margarito)!

Comment by andrew on 11/14/10 at 1:29 am

Amen to your writeup, Ilana.
Cheers from Ireland (and Philippines)!

Shalom!

Comment by taeintsik on 11/14/10 at 4:14 am

Great writing! I can related to what you have written. Let his life be an example to everyone.

Comment by M47 on 11/14/10 at 4:20 am

Hahahaha looks like you now have the PACMAN Fever.. welcome to the club! The more, the merrier!

Comment by Tamaha_03 on 11/14/10 at 4:25 am

This is the best article i’ve read so far on MP, simply becuase it talks about the man and not just the boxer.  If you look closely, most Filipino’s go through the same journey of hardship—but not everyone of course end up with the fairy tail story that is MP.  I’m proud to be of the same heritage as MP.  Mabuhay Philippines!  Mabuhay Manny Pacquiao!

Comment by Jelo_B on 11/14/10 at 4:39 am

dang! you made me teary-eyed!

Comment by pac on 11/14/10 at 4:39 am

thanks for you very inspiring piece Ilana, I am a filipino working here in your land Israel ,and i must say I am very proud of my hero THE PACMAN

Comment by lito on 11/14/10 at 4:40 am

what can i say? the guy is simply superb. true modeel indeed. nice article.

Comment by abdul karim on 11/14/10 at 4:43 am

i agree with you . . . congratulation pacman!

from malaysia

Comment by mwilz on 11/14/10 at 4:54 am

Thank you for admiring Manny Pacquiao..he is really a great boxer..amids the fame and money that he achieved, he still remains humble…

Comment by vj on 11/14/10 at 4:54 am

Hi Angel, you’re writing is from the bottom of your heart. Pacman is really amazing, he’s a real life SUPERMAN.

Comment by Paul on 11/14/10 at 5:10 am

your blog is very inspirational itself . . . one of manny’s greatest trait was he put money to where it belongs - below him.  it does not control him.  he finds his value in GOD and family. Let us pray that he will always be like that…we need “heroes” in this depraved times.

Comment by Stryker on 11/14/10 at 5:13 am

Dear Ilana,

Nice to look up to him as a man and a man for your kid to emulate…we hope Manny Pacquiao can handle it, many before him failed to do so when they have achieved far even less…

Leojhn

Comment by Leojhn on 11/14/10 at 5:17 am

You mam is an angel! Thank you for admiring Manny. He is truly, a man of honor, power and dignity for us Filipinos.
A humble man with a huge heart for his people. Godbless!

Comment by Ramon on 11/14/10 at 5:26 am

Truly a great man is manny pacquiao, one in a gazillion..smileeach day of his life will be devoted to all the people he wants to be happy minor or major somehow.. He will always be a philippine hero and the greatest boxer of all time.. smile nice piece Ilana..

Comment by noah on 11/14/10 at 5:48 am

SPLENDID! ..very well said. it’s true PACMAN is the GREATEST BOXER of all time in planet earth, yet very HUMBLE and very KIND.

...CONGRATULATIONS PACMAN! MABUHAY and pambansang KAMAO.

...MABUHAY ang PILIPINAS!!!

Comment by Raymond on 11/14/10 at 6:09 am

great article Ilana, manny is one of the humblest boxer in this generation, he puts god first in all of his performances inside and outside the ring, a hero in many ways, role models for both the young and adults, Emanuel Dapidran Pacquiao is truly one of a kind a HERO.

Comment by fred on 11/14/10 at 6:11 am

Thanks for praising our hero, I am living on Sarangan Province where Manny Pacquiao is our Congressman. He’s a very nice person,generous and a big heart for the lowest people in our community. Pacquiao is the best ever boxer inside and outside the ring.

Comment by Elmer Diola on 11/14/10 at 6:13 am

Thanks MS Angel for admiring Manny we came from the same area in the Phil. Years ago we don’t see this thing will happen to him a boy selling “aripahol and alupe” cassava delicacy in our place now a world figure that is known even in your country of Israel. Happy sabbath from Bangkok with love.Mabuhay si Manny Pacquio at ang mga OFW!

Comment by Filipino Sabbathkeeper on 11/14/10 at 6:17 am

Shalom, Ilana…

Comment by Melchizedek on 11/14/10 at 6:28 am

hi ilana your piece is simple direct to the point and inspiring too! yes manny is great, and there are also many mannys out there…let your son look up to these kind of people and he will succeed!

Comment by elmer jacob on 11/14/10 at 6:36 am

To Those Fans Who Want To More About Manny, his biography book (Pacman) has just been released, written by Mr. Poole. You can order from Amazon or check with your local bookstore or they can order one for you. The book is very detailed and inspiring.

Comment by casual observer on 11/14/10 at 6:37 am

You have gift of writing. Its been a while since i was amused and mesmerized by what i have read. MP will certainly inspire a lot of people and the next generation to come. Thank you for writing this article…

Comment by Jun Seyan on 11/14/10 at 6:38 am

very inspiring article….god bless!

Comment by richard on 11/14/10 at 6:43 am

Nice piece,Ilana.Thanks for giving a due respect to our hero.Not only 90 million Filipinos are proud of him but also multitudes around the globe.An inspiration to the downtrodden,a giver and a Pied Piper for good reasons and a God fearing man.

Comment by iriga city boy on 11/14/10 at 6:45 am

great article! hes a great role model. i love u manny!

Comment by ian on 11/14/10 at 6:49 am

Well said llana, i love you for what you’ve said to manny, keep the faith.

Comment by dacs on 11/14/10 at 6:50 am

you are one of the few people who new him, lucky for you!!!

Comment by don on 11/14/10 at 6:52 am

Your sincerity & truthfullness is straight from the heart.Manny is a HERO.He is gifted in many ways,not proud,kindhearted,likable,witty & loving person.
Cheers again PACMAN.My prayers with you &  for all of your future public services.

Comment by ennylen on 11/14/10 at 7:25 am

Thanks Ilana for your wonderful article to the man who inspires a lot of his countrymen. Cheers to all.

Comment by ren on 11/14/10 at 7:28 am

Very nicely written !!

Comment by Louie on 11/14/10 at 7:45 am

yeah he is considered a local hero here in the philippines..

no joke but everytime he fights, almost everybody watches that you could literally count the cars you see on the road during those times..
and apparently even the criminals watch him because everytime he fights, we get 0 crime rate smile which sadly, was broken today.. :(

Comment by dennis on 11/14/10 at 7:55 am

Nice article Ilana! I’ve never been so prouder as a Filipino..not because MP demolished Margarito but MP asked the ref to stop the fight before any permanent damage could be done.  Just a trivia: Politics in congress is way too dirty. There was one time when insulting speeches were given by two camps, it was MP who stood up in the middle and told everyone to stop fighting. He, indeed, is a good role model for your son as it is for mine. grin

Comment by Rex Lor on 11/14/10 at 7:57 am

Great read, but “Honorary Degree of Doctor of Humanities” is an honorary title, not one you earn in a normal course of studies.

Comment by Pacmaniac on 11/14/10 at 8:02 am

i got a crush on you Ilana. you/ve written your piece with all your heart and what you feel.

Comment by richard dee on 11/14/10 at 8:08 am

In 2007 I met Manny in a victory celebration dinner party hosted by the mayor of General Santos City. Manny, his wife, and the mayor and his wife were already eating when my friend and I arrived. My friend is also a friend of the Pacquiaos and the mayor’s family. Our mutual friend made me head straight to the celebrant’s table and introduced me. Manny himself didn’t mind being interrupted from his hearty dinner. He rose from his seat, looked at me in the eye, and shook my hand. The mayor, who did the same thing, asked me to take his seat so that our mutual friend, who is a journalist, could take a picture of us. All these happened very quickly, but I was impressed by how Manny and the mayor received me, a nobody. Manny’s hand, when it shook mine, wasn’t a hand of a celebrated boxer of global fame and unimaginable wealth. It was a hand of a man of God. It was his smile that said it.

Comment by Rey Jope on 11/14/10 at 8:27 am

I love this article Ilana. You are now my first Jewish crush! hihi

Comment by PacquiaovsMosley on 11/14/10 at 8:33 am

ilana.everytime manny fight’s pilipino people reunite.you inspired my heart….....loiscruz.nj.usa.GODbless you

Comment by loiscruz on 11/14/10 at 8:53 am

great article Ilana, Manny is indeed a role model to everyone, thanks because you admired him not only as a great boxer but who he is outside the ring.. humble, compassionate and prayerful, the traits that should be emulated by other boxers.
Cheers! from Tacloban, Phils

Comment by jennifer on 11/14/10 at 9:16 am

nice article.keep it up..

Comment by sportsaddict on 11/14/10 at 9:16 am

Hello Everyone!  Thank you for the lovely messages.  I’m hooked and he has a new fan in me!  Your kindness and loyalty to this man is inspiring.  If you judge a man by those who love him, then he is indeed a wonderful human being.  God Bless.

Comment by Ilana Angel on 11/14/10 at 9:17 am

As a Filipino, I am so proud of Manny Pacquiao. He has proven his worth and reliving the essense of being a hero—-a modern hero indeed!

Comment by Nicely on 11/14/10 at 9:34 am

pacman, ali step back, pacquiao is the new greatest of all time….

Comment by aj on 11/14/10 at 9:43 am

Please pass me the tissue box. You made me teary-eyed. I’ll make sure to have my kids know more about this side of the PacMan.

Comment by Pepper on 11/14/10 at 9:58 am

Post a Comment

Name:  
Email:  
URL:  

Type the word you see below:

Comment:


About this Blog

Blog Home
About the Blogger(s)
Contact

RSS


Blog Archive

Newspaper

Serving a community of 600,000, The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angles is the largest Jewish weekly outside New York City. Our award-winning paper reaches over 150,000 educated, involved and affluent readers each week. Subscribe here.

© Copyright 2010 Tribe Media Corp.
All rights reserved. JewishJournal.com is hosted by Nexcess.net. Homepage design by Koret Communications.
Widgets by Mijits. Site construction by Hop Studios.

counter fake hit page