Manny Pacquiao loves the Philippines and his fellow Pinoy people. On Facebook, he just released the above music video for "Lalaban Ako Para Sa Filipino," which translates to "I Am Going to Fight for Filipinos." It's a video full of immense pride—you can feel how swollen he is with the excitement of his nation. The optics are uplifting. It's also amusing as hell to see that man sing his heart out to that slow ass beat.
Pacquiao will have you believe that he's fighting for the Filipino people come May 2, and that's factually true. He's Filipino, the Filipino people love him enough to elect him to their Congress, and he's fighting a non-Filipino. You can't understand his Tagalog, but he's singing "I will fight for all Filipino" throughout that wild music video, which is spliced together with Pacquiao fight footage and humanitarian images of the Philippines.
Just remember, however, that while he boxes with the flag of the Philippines on his shorts, and that his countrymen will fanatically cheer him on May 2 in a way only nationalist fervor can produce, the "Manny Pacquiao is a man of the people" image is just a clean PR job from his camp.
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As it's been pointed out, Pacquiao isn't some sort of "good" man combating the evil of Floyd Mayweather. In fact, Pacquiao's done actual things to hurt his country. You didn't know? He's a bad Congressman who owes millions in backtaxes to his government, and is so against same-sex marriage, sex education, and a woman's right to choose that he and Floyd Mayweather likely share more in common morally than anyone would care to imagine, or report on.
No, no. Fists raised, singing the chorus of "I Am Going to Fight for Filipinos" with only other men flanking him—now that's more like Pacquiao. Not the real Pacquiao: Fighting for Filipinos, but sort-of, and only some of the time.
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