[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 2]
[Senate]
[Pages 1754-1755]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO MANNY PACQUIAO

  Mr. REID. Madam President, I am going to take a few minutes today to 
talk about a friend of Nevada's and a friend of mine. This man is from 
the other side of the world. His name is Manny Pacquiao. He is in 
Washington today. Every time I visit with him, I come away more 
impressed than the last time.
  Although those of us who serve here are close with our colleagues in 
the U.S. Congress--and some even achieve celebrity status inside the 
beltway itself, the so-called beltway bubble--few of our names and 
faces are recognizable beyond our shores.
  Senator Ted Kennedy was an exception to that rule with fame he earned 
through the decades he and his family dedicated to public service. So 
was Senator Clinton--and in her current role as Secretary of State, 
even more of the world recognizes and respects her. I traveled to 
Europe with Senator John Glenn. He was a rock star all over Europe. He 
was a global hero because he orbited the globe.
  But no one in our national legislature comes close to the level of 
worldwide fame of the Congressman from the southern tip of the 
Philippines, Manny Pacquiao.
  The bond between the Philippines and the United States is deep and 
strong. During World War II, when the Pacific nation was a commonwealth 
of this country, brave and patriotic Filipino troops served under the 
American flag. With the leadership of Senator Dan Inouye, who acted so 
heroically in the Second World War, we fought in the legislative 
branches of our government to give those troops, those Filipino troops, 
the well-deserved and long-overdue pensions they earned during a time 
of war.
  Now Congressman Pacquiao is a Member of Congress from the 
Philippines. He is also a boxer who holds many other titles than that 
of Congressman. He holds the title of Super Welterweight Champion. He 
is the only person in the history of boxing to hold eight world titles. 
He is the first person in history to win 10 world titles in 8 different 
weight divisions. He started out being a champion at 106 pounds.
  He has fought them all. He has fought people who outweighed him 35, 
40 pounds. He has been declared the fighter of the decade and three 
times the fighter of the year. He is rated the No. 1 pound-for-pound 
best boxer in the world. From Flyweight to Light Middleweight Champion, 
Welterweight Champion, Lightweight Champion--no other boxer in history 
has achieved what he has achieved.
  He is an ambitious young man with a closet full of championship belts 
and the start of a promising political career already under his belt. I 
am most gratified, as I mentioned, that he is a friend of Nevada's, 
where his sport is a major player in our economic arena. He is someone 
I really admire.
  Manny Pacquiao and I come from opposite sides of the globe, but in 
our hearts we come from the same place.

[[Page 1755]]

Manny grew up with nothing. He was just a kid when he had to leave his 
home and live in the streets. He started fighting in the streets and 
went into the ring where he certainly has been one of the all-time 
greats.
  He fought for money when he was a mere boy. He has done so well in 
life. He has fought to get an education he was not able to get as a 
young boy. He is married to a wonderful woman named Jinkee. They have 
four children. He is a devout Roman Catholic. When he stepped into the 
ring for the first time, it changed his life.
  He is a fighter. I have talked about that. There is near unanimous 
agreement he is the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet today 
and perhaps ever, and that takes into consideration some great 
fighters--Sugar Ray Leonard, Sugar Ray Robinson.
  He is a man who is so fun to watch. In his last fight--I watched that 
fight--he was outweighed by some 30 pounds. He won the fight. He won 
every round of that fight, and the man he fought had been a champion. 
But he knows it is not enough just to fight for yourself--and he does 
that very well--or to be a world champion many times over. You have to 
be a champion for others. That is what he believes.
  He is very tough--we know that--not because he can take punches as 
forcefully as he gives one but because he fights for those who cannot 
fight for themselves.
  The large and vibrant Filipino community in Nevada looks up to Manny, 
as do Filipinos and fight fans all over the world. He sets a welcome 
example of an athlete who does good for many. He is someone who is not 
in public service for fame or glory or money but because he knows his 
people need his advice and need his voice.
  He is a friend, I repeat, of Nevada's, a friend of America, and--I am 
happy to say--a friend of mine.

                          ____________________