Despite defeat, Pacquiao gets praises from fellow House members

World boxing champ and Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao’s defeat to Mexican boxer Juan Manuel Marquez on Sunday did not stop the Filipino fighter’s colleagues from the House of Representatives from expressing admiration of their fellow lawmaker. In a statement, House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. lauded Pacquiao for putting up a good fight against Marquez. “Being a great champion also means having the grace to accept defeat with utmost humility as Manny has shown. He is still the people’s champ,” Belmonte said. “Just as he has always been the symbol of Filipino resiliency, I am certain he can rise above this setback and still inspire our own people,” he added. Pacquiao was knocked out by Marquez in the sixth round of their fourth face-off in Las Vegas on Sunday. Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares meanwhile described Marquez’s victory against Pacquiao as a “fluke.” “It’s a sad loss for us and for Manny, but that does not diminish his many accomplishments yet unequalled by any Filipino boxer. Now, more than ever, is the proper time to remember all his accomplishments,” the party-list representative said in a separate text message. Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, for his part, said Marquez’s “lucky” punch “cannot obliterate the illustrious boxing career of Manny Pacquiao.” “He [Pacquiao] truly deserves the continuing adulation of Filipinos and the boxing world, and he is entitled to a fifth bout with Marquez,” Lagman said in a separate statement. Pacquiao, a neophyte congressman, is seeking another term as House member in 2013. He was the country's richest lawmaker last year, and was also among the top absentees in the lower chamber. — BM, GMA News