A Filipino Satire by Goliath Letterman

(Not Related to David Letterman of the CBS Network)

Part Two of a New Series Called “Pacquiaoism”

He joked that reaction to it has been ‘slight shock . . . A lot of people didn't think I could read, much less write’ – As reported by Mitchell Landsberg

M itchell Landsberg of the Los Angeles Times reported today about a new book but the author that made the joke is not Filipino boxing megastar and now-Congressman Manny Pacquiao. The quote came from former President George W. Bush.

The quote appears in an article in today’s issue of the Los Angeles Times that is titled:

Bush, on book tour, tells Rick Warren of faith

Here’s the URL to the article of Mitchell Landsberg:

 http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-bush-20101130,0,4450383.story

C ongressman Pacquiao’s new book is entitled “Pacman: My Story of Hope, Resilience, and Never-Say-Never Determination.” The autobiography tells his “meteoric rise from an impoverished village” in Mindanao Islands, the Philippines, to the legendary ranks of world boxing champions.

The book is said to be “one of the most-definitive and comprehensive biographies ever” in the world of professional boxing.

Seattle, Washington-based A Cup O' Kapeng Barako Columnist Jesse Jose wants to know the ghost writer that probably penned the biography of Manny Pacquiao.

Mr. Jose, who writes now exclusively for the www.MabuhayRadio.com, says that according to his sources in the publishing world and as confirmed supposedly by the Office of Congressman Pacquiao, a certain “Marquez” aided the boxing legend in writing it. The Barako columnist asks if it were former Miss International Melanie Marquez, who could have been in turn aided by her former sister-in-law, Alma Moreno, a Filipino movie actress. The duo could have been the book’s ghost writers, as both of them are some of the more-famous English-speaking Filipinos. If it were not Ms. Melanie, could it have been Romeo P. Marquez, a seasoned journalist and multi-awarded writer, who is now based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada? (To view a profile of Mr. Marquez, please go to:  http://currentsbreakingnews.blogspot.com/.)

Mr. Jose’s sources also claim that a certain “Joseph” edited the book manuscript. Could it be former Philippine President Joseph “Erap” Estrada who edited the book, which is published in English? Mr. Estrada is known for his very-colorful command of the King’s language. If the editor was not Mr. Estrada, perhaps the editing could have been done by Chicago-based Joseph G. Lariosa, the dean of Filipino correspondents in the United States? Mr. Lariosa, another award-winning professional journalist who writes also for this website, allegedly refuses to confirm or deny the rumor that he served as the book editor of Mr. Pacquiao’s biographical opus. But he recently wrote a piece of advice for Manny Pacquiao, Eight Is Enough. And he has written many-more articles about Mr. Pacquiao in the Sports Section (http://www.mabuhayradio.com/sports/) and in his column (http://www.mabuhayradio.com/jgl-eye/) of this website.

In any case, the new book of Congressman Pacquiao completes his life, if we are to follow a Chinese adage that Poet-pundit Fred Burce Bunao used to dish out frequently to wannabe writers during his lifetime. Here’s the adage:

A man’s life is complete if he takes a wife, fathers a son and writes a book.

As soon as he gets hold of a copy of Mr. Pacquiao’s book, Jesse Jose says that he will send it to this website’s editor, Lolo Bobby M. Reyes, for a literary review. Mr. Jose says that being a critic of Manny Pacquiao, he may not be able to write a favorable review of the said book. But he says that Lolo Bobby has been known for his objectivity in reporting and in book reviews.

Mr. Reyes says that people should not laugh at Congressman Pacquiao’s autobiography. He says further that perhaps it can even win for Mr. Pacquiao the 2011 Nobel Prize for Literature – that is, if George W. Bush doesn’t win it with his book, “Decision Points,” which is a memoir of his two terms as the tenant of the White House.

As of press time, this author will verify another report that Congressman Pacquiao’s good friend, Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada, has allegedly asked the Filipino boxer to help him complete also his biographical book. Senator Reid is also a former boxer. Who knows, the tandem will eventually be known as the Nobel-Prize winning “Reid and Write” Team. # # #