Justin Bieber. AP
It comes as no surprise to me that Canadian pop sensation Justin Bieber has lost already a bulk of his Filipino fans with some of them now moving to the newest boy band, “One Direction”. The things the “Biebs” has done as of late was really distasteful and only revealed his true colors. What I can’t quite understand is what motivated him to post those mocking Instagram photos of a fallen Manny on the canvas. I know this issue is already a few weeks old at least, but it so infuriated a lot of Filipinos, and rightfully so. Manny Pacquiao is not only one of the world’s greatest boxers who ever lived. But for the Philippines, he has become a national treasure, as well. He has become the Filipino people’s source of moral upliftment when we were down, when “dirty” politics were too much too bear, when the crime rate was at an all-time high, and when our local scene wasn’t that great–the latter, of course, being a topic I am most comfortable with. It occurs to me that sports–boxing, in this case–are also closely tied in to music because aside from the boxers’ entrance themes, some boxers not only get an artist to sing their chosen songs, but these artists also accompany them to the ring. Most notable is rapper “50 Cent” who has been a regular part of the entourage/posse of Floyd “Money” Mayweather.
It’s so obvious that what Bieber did was just another publicity stunt, or a desperate way of calling attention to himself, since he got snubbed from the latest award giving body. Clearly, this a pattern of “Biebs” to keep his name talked about and remain a trending topic. This is the same method that other popular artists employ to remain relevant. How low and pathetic. Of all the people he could have made fun of, why choose a national treasure and a modern day myth? We will never see another Manny Pacquiao again.
By the way, Bieber could not even keep his relationship with Selena Gomez working. Oops, was that a touchy subject? Well, too bad. Justin Bieber showed no respect to us Filipinos by disrespecting and making a mockery of Manny Pacquiao. He deserves the same treatment at the very least. Because years from now, I will be thankful that I never bought in or joined the Justin Bieber “bandwagon”. Turns out this guy sucks as a human being! Now, who would want to see Justin Bieber get in the boxing ring???