Even those of you who are not necessarily boxing fans should have watched Sunday’s Pacquiao fight. The Pacman again demonstrated his complete dedication to his craft and showed his utmost professionalism. Measured, cool, fighting within his game plan, Pacquiao did everything right. It was not a flashy exhibition. It was an exhibition that hard work and discipline can bring outstanding rewards.

And it was yet another opportunity for some normal Philippine bashing even in the sports world.

Nobody doubts that the election season is here; would-be candidates for president, vice-president and other national and local positions are expected to file their certificates of candidacy with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) not later than December 1.

For months now, we have been bombarded with infomercials on television and radio of those who want the general public to have an awareness of who they are and what they have to offer in the hopes that they will be remembered come May 2010. Aside from infomercials, we have also seen posters of various political personalities sprout all over the country. Some of these infomercials and posters were paid for by the would-be candidates themselves while some were contributed by friends and supporters.

Manong Ernie (former Senate President Ernesto Maceda) started it all, as far as I know. In his highly politically charged daily column in The Tribune, he recently wrote what at first seemed an innocuous item about autism being on the rise in the Philippines.

I enjoyed reading that particular piece, primarily because of the seamlessly subtle way it delivered its lethal message—that one candidate with an autistic disorder is aspiring for a high office in the 2010 elections! Manong Ernie did not have to name the candidate or specify the position aspired for; he knew that he did not have to. True enough, the issue of autism suddenly exploded as never before in the days that followed.