Monday, July 10, 2006
Traffic snarled as city greets Pacquiao
VEHICULAR traffic came to a halt Thursday morning when local boy Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao arrived in General Santos after scoring a convincing unanimous decision win over Mexican Oscar Larios last July 2 at the Araneta Coliseum.
While General Santos was virtually a ghost town when Manny humbled Larios two Sundays ago, all roads where Pacquiao passes were virtually filled with well wishers and vehicles were forced to reroute to avoid being caught in the jam.
The former "pandesal" vendor gamely waved at his cheering fans that lined up the roads from the city airport to the gymnasium, a route that normally takes only a 20-minute drive.
It took him hours to reach his waiting fans because his motorcade route spanned nine barangays.
"Thank you very much for your prayers and your unwavering support," he told his town mates in the vernacular.
City officials and local business leaders headed the party that welcomed Pacquiao.
Later in the evening, Pacquiao joined the toast offered by Mayor Pedro Acharon Jr. to celebrate his victory at a party hosted by the City Government.
Acharon said Pacquiao did not only bring honor to the city, the former stowaway also placed General Santos City in the world map.
"Pacquiao is the number one locator of Gensan," Acharon told guests at the dinner held at the Family Country Hotel and Convention Center.
Pacquiao later gave cash to visitors who answered trivia questions about his boxing and movie career.
For Bisaya stories from General Santos.Click here. (This section is updated every Monday)
(July 10, 2006 issue)
Write letter to the editor.Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board.Click here. |
