MANILA, Philippines – Manny Pacquiao talked about his knockout loss in the hands of Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez before voting “NO” to the RH Bill. He was accorded a standing ovation by his colleagues uniting the pro and anti-RH supporters, during his speech. This was revealed by various local news sites this week.
Pacquiao has been knocked out by Marquez during the few remaining seconds of the 6th round of their fight in Las Vegas.
Pacquiao had remained unconscious for more than 2 minutes before he regained consciousness. This was the focus of his speech in Congress during the RH Bill voting.
Here’s an excerpt of Manny Pacquiao’s speech before voting “NO” to the RH Bill.
“Mr. Speaker, my fellow congressmen, especially to the Honorable Carlo Lopez who has really tried hard to convince me to change my mind.
My countrymen, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for your prayer and support during my last fight in Las Vegas. (This was met with thunderous applause, loud cheers and a standing ovation.)
Ngayong gabi, tayo ang mga boses ng sambayanang Pilipino ay magpetisyon sa isang napakaimportanteng panukalang batas na huhugis sa kinabukasan ng ating bansang Pilipinas.
(Tonight, we represent the voice of the Filipino people in petitioning a significant bill that would forge the future of our country.)
…Mga kababayan ko (My countrymen) in the dying seconds of the 6th round of my fight with Marquez. A single punch knocked me out. For more than 2 minutes, I was lying unconscious- motionless. My wife cried, members of team Pacquiao cried, my friends and fans cried when they saw that I was not moving at all. Some thought I was dead.
Buong akala nila ay isang buhay na naman ang nawala. (They had thought that one life has been lost again.)
What happened in Las Vegas strengthened my already firm belief of the sanctity of life.
Ang nangyari sa Las Vegas ay lalong nagpaigiting sa aking paniniwala na ang buhay ay sagrado. Kung dapat o hindi na ang nilalang ay mabuhay sa mundo, ay hindi kelangang dapat ilagay sa kamay ng kanyang kapwa tao. Tanging ang Diyos lamang ang may karapatan dito.
(What happened in Las Vegas strengthened my already firm belief of the sanctity of life. The decision of whether a human being should live on earth or not, should not be left in the hands of his fellow human beings. Only God has the right to decide whether a human being should live or not.)
Kaya (so) Manny Pacquiao is pro-life. Manny Pacquiao votes no to House Bill 4244.”
