Last weekend, I got the following text message from a friend:
"Wel, ah, I fil relaxin, On d 1st place, itz nt hard2make my weight. Wel d 1st, ah , i did not speak , gona knock hm, maybe itz bonuz of d God, as of nw, i wl spend d famly n wel celebrate d filipino pipol. ol i say s thanx4 d God, n to ol d pipol around d world 4 boxin. tnx." - Manny Pacquiao. After that quote, the text continues: hoy wag kang 2mawa! national hero ntin yan! =)
First of all, I don't remember if that quote is an accurate one. What I do know, though, is that after the fight, when he was interviewed, his English did sound strange. I actually would have wanted him to speak in Filipino (and just have it translated into English by an interpreter) instead but you have to give him credit for trying to speak a foreign language like English, at the least.
With all his winnings, I guess Manny Pacquiao can afford to hire someone to teach him good English. Sure, with his megabucks, people all over the world will exert effort to understand him or probably won't care about how he speaks English but it will do a lot for him personally. It always help an individual to learn a new skill and to learn it well.
Not all is lost though. On the way home to Gen San after arriving in the Philippines, fresh from his victory over Morales, he was asked about his political plans. His reply in perfect English: "I'm not a politician. I'm a boxer." He got that right -- on both counts.
Hope springs eternal and Manny Pacquiao is the true people's champion. I wonder, when will he champion the English language?
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