Ring battle to silence other PH battles
86 million punches
Local boxing analysts say the pressure is on Mayweather, who is seeking to preserve his unblemished professional record.
More than 86 million punches have been thrown at a virtual punching bag set up three weeks ago by broadcast network ABS-CBN to support eight-division champion Pacquiao.
Manila Electric Co. assured the public there would be no power outage on fight day, although power generators in Mindanao may not meet the surge in electricity demand.
Showing a standby generator, General Santos City tourism officer Maria Cora Tito said: “We want to avoid a revolt here, we have prepared for that.”
READ: No brownouts in Mindanao on Pacquiao-Mayweather fight day
5th largest Pinoy population
In Las Vegas, home to one of the largest populations of Filipinos in the US, Filipino-Americans relished the thrill of having the heavily promoted fight in their own backyard.
Nearly 5 percent of Nevadans—more than 138,000 people—identify as Filipino, making the sparsely populated state home to the fifth-largest contingent in the country, according to Census data. Other states with more than 100,000 Filipinos include California, Hawaii, Texas, Illinois, Washington, New Jersey, Florida, New York and Virginia.
Of the 3.6 million people who identify as Filipino in the US, one out of 26 live in Nevada and mostly in the Las Vegas area.
“They say Las Vegas is ‘Mayweather Town,’ maybe because of the mainstream [media]—they don’t know that the Vegas community of Filipinos is one of the biggest,” said Arturo Garcia of Los Angeles-based Justice for Filipino American Veterans.
In fact, many of the Filipino households in Vegas are expected to host out-of-towners who want to be in the midst of the buzz surrounding the event.
One of them, Rogel Carlos, 50, flew in from Phoenix on Friday to join friends and enjoy the expected spread of Filipino food catered in the typical fashion of a family reunion or birthday party.
Proud of heritage
“It’s really the first time as a Filipino-American that I can be proud of my heritage … because of what Manny Pacquiao has accomplished. It’s almost as if all Filipinos feel like this,” Carlos said.
In a nod to the 1.5 million Filipinos who live in California, the largest total number in the US, Our Lady of Loretto Elementary School in Los Angeles’ Historic Filipinotown is also scrambling to host a watch party. AP
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