'Pacman' bids to get rid of 'Money' in highly anticipated fight
The much-hyped "Fight of the Century" between American Floyd Mayweather Jnr and Filipino Manny Pacquiao in Las Vegas, Nevada on Sunday May 3 (HK time) has once again put the Philippines in the spotlight.
The much-hyped "Fight of the Century" between American Floyd Mayweather Jnr and Filipino Manny Pacquiao in Las Vegas, Nevada on Sunday May 3 (HK time) has once again put the Philippines in the spotlight.
The fight at the 147 pound (66.7kg) welterweight limit pits the unbeaten five-division world boxing champion Mayweather against Pacquiao, an eight-division world champion.
Every time "Pacman" fights, it is a huge event in his home country, and opponents don't come any bigger than "Money" Mayweather, long regarded as the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet - and the highest paid athlete in the world, according to Forbes.
Scores of visitors are expected to flood the capital Manila and many of the archipelago's 7,107 islands to make the most of the occasion.
A Manila-based sales agent says he has received numerous queries about the location of hotels near sports bars and clubs that will show the fight. News about the limited number of tickets available to the public has boosted demand - and prices - and reports suggests that prices will range from US$1,500 to US$10,000. Promoters expect the fight to be sold out within minutes of tickets going on sale.
Watching a Pacquiao fight in Manila is a special experience as the whole nation seems to come to a standstill to watch their hero fight wherever they can - in corner shops, bus stations, pubs, shopping centres and ferry terminals. Such is the power of Pacquiao that crime rates reportedly fall sharply across the land whenever he is in action.
Once the fight is over, visitors can tour the "Pearl of the Orient", as Manila is affectionately known, for the splendid attractions that the metro offers.
The first stop on your itinerary should be Rizal Park, which was used as an execution ground by the Spaniards during their colonisation of the Philippines from 1521 to 1898. The park is situated at the northern end of Roxas Boulevard. It lies next to Intramuros, overlooking the famous Manila Bay.
Rizal Park has beautiful gardens, fountains, a grand stadium, plazas, an open-air concert hall, an observatory, a light-and-sound theatre, an artist's sanctuary and restaurants.
Another place worth visiting in Manila is the San Agustin Church, which is a Unesco World Heritage Site. Manila has numerous churches but the San Augustin Church is special as it is the oldest stone church in Philippines, built in 1589.
According to records it was built in 1500 inside the Walled City, or Intramuros. The church has its own museum with artefacts from the 16th century. There is a beautiful garden behind the museum and the church authorities allow wedding receptions and functions if one books early.
San Agustin is among a handful of churches, built by Spanish friars, worth visiting in the city, In the grounds one can take a ride back in time along the cobblestone roads in a horse drawn carriage called a calesa. Right outside San Agustin Church, hire a calesa driver to take you around the points of interest in the old Walled City of Manila. The cost for the ride is about 400 pesos (HK$70).
When visiting Manila one can't ignore the presence of Americans from the first half of the 20th century and the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in Fort Bonifacio is a stark reminder of numerous Americans who died defending the country in the second world war following the Japanese invasion. The walls around the cemetery show the names of the fallen soldiers and each US state they came from. The grounds are green and create a serene environment.
