By DYAN CASTILLEJO-GARCIA
with JACKIE CASTILLEJO

Ever since Manny proved to the world how powerful his punches are and the world saw the devastation on Morales face when he hit the canvas for the second time in the third round, refusing to get up; it has been absolute pandemonium from all Pacquiao fans.

If a fighter decides to match “The Pacman” blow by blow, he may be in deep trouble. Morales learned that very quickly and the hard way. I spoke to Manny barely an hour after he stepped off the ring.

There is no limit when it comes to who Manny is and what he does best. Even my son Matthew liked hanging out with Manny. I hope Manny gives him something signed so Mat can bring it to his next show-and-tell at school. That would be mint for Mat.

The fight went so quickly that even Manny wanted to watch it over again on his plane ride home. "Oh! So that’s how I knocked him out," so he said.

The minute Manny stepped on Philippine soil the boxer became more like a rock star. There is just something about Pacquiao that makes all Filipinos so proud. There‘s something about “The Pacman” that the Pinoy can’t get enough of.

Every time Manny brings home a victory, all of the country stops to join him in a Grand Motorcade Celebration.

For every smile Manny bring to the Pinoy, he has an even bigger smile! If there’s one thing about “The People’s Champion,” it's compassion and a willingness to give off himself.

Manny always looks forward to coming home when he fights abroad. He is always excited to share his joy with the Philippines. This time though, he was extra, extra excited. He was carrying the world title belt and he was going to hold his little princess for the very first time. Manny dedicated his fight to his precious princess and said that she inspired him tremendously to come out a winner from this fight.

Winning a world title was an awesome feeling, Manny said, but the feeling still fell short of the feeling of becoming a proud father to his first baby girl. What a priceless moment!

Manny may now be a rich man (his mansion in General Santos City is proof to that) but Manny comes home to General Santos to relax and live simply. If that’s possible. General Santos is now synonymous to Manny Pacquiao.

The adoration of the people from Gensan for Manny Pacquiao is unbelievable! Every punch that hits Manny whenever he fights is felt by everyone here.

They take Manny very personally. He is their symbol for hope and we will attest the fact that people in General Santos are happiest when they are anywhere near the presence of his greatness.

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Brian Villoria’s goal was to take back the WBC mini-flyweight title that was unexpectedly taken from him by Mexican fighter Omar Nino early this year. He knew he lost that bout and immediately wanted a rematch saying he just had one of those bad, bad days.

Every Pinoy at the Thomas and Mack Center was behind Brian who fought two bouts before Manny was scheduled to fight. You could sense Villoria’s desire to win from the start of the fight. Brian trained harder than ever to be able to redeem his loss. You could feel Villoria's intensity the second he stood up from his corner. He was fighting for pride-- Pinoy pride! “The Hawaiian Punch” was credited a knockdown on the fifth round when Nino’s glove touch the ground.

The ninth round was Brian’s biggest round when he floored Nino hard. With only three rounds to go and with knockdowns, Brian could already taste the title belt.

Some critics said that although Brian floored Nino twice, he also gave away a number of rounds with inactivity. At the end of the whole 12 rounds, despite the two knockdowns, the judges thought Villoria did not convincingly avenge his loss to Omar Nino and gave a majority draw decision resulting to Nino retaining his title. Once again there was shock and frustration in the Villoria Camp. There was no doubt in Brian’s mind that he had won back his title belt. It was a disgusted and disappointed Brian who spoke after the fight.

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You saw him first on Sports Unlimited Pinoy UFC sensation. Brandon “The Truth” Vera demolished his heavyweight opponent Frank Mir in the first round. This UFC striker walked in the ring with the Philippine flag waving proudly behind him. Even his mouthpiece had the colors of the Philippine flag. Tattooed on his back was Alibata, a proof that Brandon is super proud of his Filipino blood and wants the whole world to know he’s Pinoy. Brandon is the Pacquiao of the UFC! Every time this Pinoy fights, the people troop to the place just to see him. He is being tagged as the most exciting fighter in the UFC today.

His win against Frank Mir last November 18, coincidently the same night Pacquiao made a huge statement, Brandon was a serious contender for the heavyweight title. Brandon told Sports Unlimited the last time he came to the Philippines that he has a “heavyweight’ desire to make a difference in the Philippines. He wants to help make the lives of the Filipino better. He takes pride in his heritag and he is thankful for all the blessings he is getting right now in his UFC career. He said has all the intention to pass on the blessing to his Pinoy brothers. There is no way for Brandon to go but up. He is poised to be the UFC Heavyweight Champion of the World and Brandon wants the Philippines to know that when he reaches the top, he will take “Pinoy Pride” with him.

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Our friend, Jab Buhay, an admitted Sports Unlimited junkie, could not wait to show us his latest Sports Unlimited type purchase. His yellow fully-decked-out-for-adventure 4x4. Marc and Jackie finally found time to take a break from all the boxing frenzies a few days before the fight to hang out with Jab, who also recently moved from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. Jab does not only watch Sports Unlimited, he lives the lifestyle. One of his favorite places is Red Rock Canyon, a beautiful Oasis just 20 minutes off the Las Vegas strip. Who knew that nestled inside “The Sin City” is a heavenly stunning place like Red Rock Canyon?

Red Rock Canyon is one of the top five rock climbing destinations in America. A total nature trip is ideal in Red Rock Canyon only if trekking or picnicking is a little subdued for you. There is always a good old 4x4 adventure. De ja vus (Marc behind the wheel of a 4x4 with Jackie beside him freaking out)! Jab was happy to let Marc break into his new 4x4 baby. Marc and Jackie told me that driving a 4x4 on the awesome Red Rock was exhilarating. What a refreshing getaway if you are in Vegas! We highly recommend a trip to Red Rock Canyon. It won’t hurt giving the slots a rest to visit this "Jackpot” of a place.

For our friend, Jerome Hughes who recently moved to Las Vegas, there was probably only one thing that made him more excited on November 18 than the Pacquiao Fight-- his wedding in the morning of November 18 in a charming chapel just outside the Las Vegas strip.

What great timing! We flew in to Vegas for the fight and got the big bonus of being able to attend one of the most important days in a person’s life. True to Las Vegas tradition, the wedding ceremony did not take very long. It went just as quick as the Pacquiao fight.

November 18 was a long day Jerome and Pacquiao would never forget. Jerome told his long time sweetheart Lalaine that she is the best thing that’s ever happened to him. There is no dry eye during the reception especially when again, similar to Pacquiao, Jerome opted to sing to Lalaine his message of true love. Lalaine was a knockout in her beautiful white gown that contrasted her flawless Filipina complexion. After the reception, Jerome and Lalaine chose to go the Thomas and Mack Center for their honeymoon. They were eager to watch Pacquiao's fight.

***

Checked out who turned up on the poker table this time, our regular poker pretty lady, G! She played while Tim took care of Princess Sakura. Joey Mead was in town so she showed up. Hollywood Fil-Am actor Dante Basco heard about our event and dropped by a nice surprise. Mayor Mike Guingona headed down from Daly City to play a little poker with us. The mayor's brother, Dave Guingona who is a long time sports reporter in the Bay area, looked like he was born to play poker. He also came by.

Good old Rey, part of the family, never passed a chance to win some chips. The Diva, our host Vera Suguitan, seemed quiet but deep down, she was a fearless poker shark. Our traditional celebrity poker event in the party house of Rob and Vera has always been something to look forward to. More than winning the poker game, you also win the privilege to poke fun at everyone. All good fun, of course.

After an hour of playing, it was down to G and Mike. G wanted to go home because it was time to put Princess Sakura to sleep. So, until our next celebrity poker event, may all your bluffs be believable and all your hands full.