Resolute Bantayan Island rallies around public screening of Pacquiao fight

Presented by Pru Life UK

On the morning of May 3, the sun rose half past five, spilling its colors of red and yellow all over Bantayan Island. The locals had gotten up a little early than usual to finish their daily chores and run some errands.

Runolfo Layam, 70, woke up at four in the morning that day. He got up early to say a little prayer for Manny Pacquiao, who in a matter of hours was about to go on a fight with Floyd Mayweather, Jr. The bout had been billed as the “Fight of the Century,” and Runolfo sure wasn’t going to miss it. The insurance company Pru Like U.K. offered to air the live coverage of the match for free at the Santa Fe Complex, just a couple of minutes walk from where Runolfo lived. On Bantayan Island, the match was aired in the three municipalities of Santa Fe, Madridejos, and Bantayan.

The island was hit by Typhoon Yolanda about two years ago, which wiped out many trees and tore through wooden houses. To this day, some areas still do not have electricity. Most of the residents subsist on minimal resources, and some live in provisional houses provided by local and international organizations. Bantayan Island is located west of the northern end of Cebu Island, about 136 kilometers away from Cebu City, so any project to restore the whole island’s electricity was hard to come by. For the residents, it was a great privilege to see one of the biggest fights on the big screen free of charge.

Runolfo has been an avid fan of Pacquiao ever since and has seen all of his fights. He skipped breakfast that morning and rushed to the covered court to secure a good seat. He brought along with him his six-year-old grandson, Edward. They had one packet of rice cake in case they got hungry.

As the hours inched closely to Pacquiao’s fight, the locals started coming in droves and almost filled the court’s 2,500 seating capacity. Some of the viewers even came from as far as Hilantagaan Island, a one-hour boat ride away from Bantayan Island.

Everyone wore their red bandanas to show their support for Pacquiao, and as they started showing clips of the “People’s Champion” in between the preliminary fights, the crowd burst into cheers. The air was a little muggy that morning, and the few ventilation machines were not enough to provide any relief to everyone. But most of the people did not mind. Their eyes were glued to the big screen to mind any form of inconvenience.

After the penultimate match ended, the crowd stood up for the national anthem. They placed their hands over their hearts and sang along with The Word Chorale, a group of singing pastors from General Santos City. The crowd could feel their hearts racing and their breathing laborious as the fight became more palpable.

Runolfo, who had been sitting just a few meters away from the screen, was watching intently with his hands clasped tightly. He was hopeful that Pacquiao would win that fight, and judging from the contender’s jabs and swift dodges, he knew that victory was for Pacquiao to claim.

The fight ended about one in the afternoon, and the sweltering heat was creeping inside the covered court. But the result of the match was not what Runolfo had expected. He was shocked when he heard the announcer say that the unanimous decision went in favor of Mayweather. Washed over with disappointment, Runolfo broke down into tears.

“I am not happy about the result of the fight because Pacquiao should have won,” he said in between tears. “It is hard to accept. I don’t think I can sleep tonight.”

Mary Arsolon, together with eight other family members, came all the way from Hilantagaan Island just to watch the show. They woke up at four in the morning and rode the pump boat to get to Bantayan Island. She said that they only had money to pay for the ride going to Santa Fe, but did not have enough to get back home. They still not had eaten lunch.

Her house was severely damaged during the wake of typhoon Yolanda. They had since built a new house but it did not have any flooring yet. A non-government organization installed solar panels in the area to provide the townspeople with electricity.

The 40-year-old mother recounted that the strong winds scattered her family around, carrying her daughter all the way to a nearby school. Her daughter slammed against a door and broken electric wires whipped across her body. Luckily, she survived and was now doing better.

With little money in their pockets, Mary and her family still went on to watch the match in Bantayan Island. She has seen all of Pacquiao’s matches, and she did not want to let this one pass.

“We are happy that we got to watch the match for free even though Pacquiao lost,” she said. “For us, Manny Pacquiao is still the winner.”

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