It is prevalent belief that there is a Filipino in every corner of the world, either migrating permanently or to work in almost every imaginable job. They can be easily spotted in a melting pot environment because Filipinos would almost always seize every opportunity to declare their patriotism. In the Philippines' SEA neighbor country of Singapore, where there is an estimated 200,000 Filipino migrant workers, it is very common to see them wear the Red, White and Blue or the "Three stars and a sun" designed clothing that resembles the Philippine flag. |
Owing to the popularity of Pinoy boxer Manny Pacquiao, it is also not surprising to see Filipinos wearing Nike Manny Pacquiao apparel.
It has been well documented that Pacquiao has become a source of national pride and unity. Families and friends gather together to watch Manny Pacquiao, either at home or in a bar. However, it is also worth mentioning that the fans' Pinoy Pride in supporting other boxers or athletes in other sports cannot be compared to the patriotic fervor that is generated by Manny Pacquiao, it is not even close. He is, afterall, the consensus greatest Pinoy Athlete of all-time.
In a 2009 friendlies, Philippines' Professional basketball team Barangay Ginebra played as visitors to the Singapore Slingers ballclub . It's of very little surprise that the game held at the Singapore Indoor Stadium was attended mostly by Pinoy fans of Ginebra because Basketball is the Philippines' favorite sport while Singapore is more of a football crazy country, and the Away team is the Philippines' most popular ballclub.
In the sport of Football on the otherhand, the Philippine Team called the Azkals is well acknowledged and supported by Pinoys in Singapore. It is evident in the overwhelming social media responses and ticket sales, like when the Azkals visited the home team Singapore Lions in 2012 Suzuki Cup. The Pinoy fans have outnumbered the local team's fans in attendance. (See link for related "controversial" story) Is it a genuine proclamation of Patriotism through sports? Or can it be theorized as a mere case of "Bandwagonism"? Whatever it is, Pinoys are very patriotic people, and they love sports. |
Another Sport wherein Pinoys do not seem to have the same level of patriotic fervor as with Boxing's Manny Pacquiao or Football's Azkals, is in the sport of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). This despite the fact that there are many Filipino MMA fighters who are making or have already made their names in the MMA world. And most, if not all of them are very proud of their lineage. It is important to note that in the Philippines, MMA shows are pretty much in its infancy as far as the so-called mainstream/primetime TV programming is concerned. MMA is being aired as regular programs in at least one cable channel (BALLS - UFC), and on one Free-to-Air primetime programming block (AKTV - PXC).
Long time followers of the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) are aware of Proud Pinoy fighters Brandon 'The Truth' Vera who has tattoos written in the Filipino writing system called Alibata, and Mark "The Filipino Wrecking Machine" Muñoz. TUF and Bellator fighter Phillipe "The Filipino Assasin" Nover is another proud Filipino fighter. (Interesting note: The two aforementioned names, along with boxing champ Nonito "The Filipino Flash" Donaire, are three well-known combat sports athletes that have "Filipino" in their nicknames)
Many fighters of Filipino lineage, have made it to the most prestigious MMA organizations of the world like UFC, Bellator and Top Asian Promotions like One FC (One Fighting Championship) and the PXC (Pacific Xtreme Combat). And although the Philippines is a predominantly boxing country, it has the URCC (Universal Reality Combat Championship) which is one of Asia's longest running MMA promotion.
A number of Philippines' best fighters already have successful international MMA careers, especially in Asia. Eric Kelly, Edward Folayang, Honorio Banario, Kevin Belingon, Filipino-Danish Ole Laursen, and top Fil-American prospect Mark Striegl, just to name a few. All of them are proud representatives of Pinoy MMA.
One FC, which is Asia's biggest MMA promotion has held a successful event in Manila in 2012. The promotion is very keen on expanding its territories in major Asian cities in the near future, including Cebu which is often referred to as the boxing capital of the Philippines. Even at the time of writing, there are several Big time Asian Mixed Martial Arts events scheduled in the upcoming weeks.
MMA is gaining momentum on Pinoy sports fans, everywere around the world, and with more and more Pinoy Sports Media pulling (or jumping on) the bandwagon, only time will tell when more PINOYS jump into the MMA world and more of them will be seen waving the Philippine flags in MMA Events EVERYWHERE, giving Pinoys abroad another venue to appreciate sports and be patriotic.