Manny Pacquiao back in Philippines

Manila: Boxing icon Manny Pacquiao who lost his world welterweight title to American Timothy Bradley in Las Vegas last June 9, left his wife Jinkee and four children in Los Angeles, arrived in Manila on Saturday morning and scheduled a plane ride to his hometown in the southern Philippines Sunday where 10 were killed, 44 others missing and 20,000 people displaced by flashfloods and a tornado, a a TV report said.

“There will be no hero’s welcome for me in Sarangani [province]. I was told there would be one, but I told [my supporters], let’s not do it. I would rather that from the airport, I would go straight to those who were affected by the floods. They need me,” Pacquiao, who represents the province in Congress, said.

Evacuation centres were hastily built in Sarangani to house displaced families since the start of heavy rains that caused flashfloods in his hometown since June 11.

Following his arrival at Pasay City’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport early Saturday morning, Pacquiao attended a welcome ceremony at Manila’s Quiapo church where a priest said he remains as “the people’s champion”.

Those in church gave him a standing ovation.

He flashed the peace sign to everyone, indicating his lack of rancour or regrets in his controversial loss to Bradley.

He attended in suburban San Juan a taping of his television variety show, Manny Many Prizes, before resting, to prepare himself for his trip to the south Sunday.

Earlier, at the airport, he said: “Let’s just forget what happened… let’s accept it,” referring to the Bradley bout.

“God has a good plan for us; plan to prosper us and not to harm us; plan to give us hope in the future. God is good all the time. I’m so happy and excited because God has a good plan for me,” said the now Bible-quoting Pacquiao.

“I used to pray five times a day and yet I sinned. By reading the Bible, the manual of life, I have learned that praying is not enough,” Pacquiao said before he left Los Angeles.

Cutting short his US trip, he said he gave up his plan to bring his children to Disneyland and Israel.

He also rescheduled a week of shooting of his scenes — as a gangster — in Brass Knuckles, a Hollywood movie that stars Filipino-American actor Rob Schneider.

Because it was a rainy Saturday morning, very few people greeted him at the airport, but they carried heart-warming placards that read, “You’re Our Champion; You’re the century’s boxer.”

With him was his chief adviser Michael Koncz.