JOANNA BACOSA PLEADS PACQUIAO TO LET CHILD CARRY HIS SURNAME
Excerpt of what was published in INQUIRER in 2006:
True love gone wrong. Or so the woman scorned said.
Until last year, Manny Pacquiao and his girlfriend of more than two years were two people blissfully enjoying stolen moments together.
Their relationship resulted in the birth of a healthy boy, according to Pacquiao's girlfriend, Joanna Rose Bacosa, a 24-year-old native of Palawan province.
Today, Bacosa is pursuing a complaint against Pacquiao for violation of Republic Act No. 9262, which protects women from violence, and to seek support for the boy.
The Inquirer attempted to get Pacquiao's side of the story, but calls to his cell phone went unanswered.
Dubbed the "Pinoy Cinderella Man," Pacquiao came home to a hero's welcome two weeks ago after a triumphant fight against three-time world champion Erik Morales of Mexico.
From a poor "panadero" [bakery worker], Pacquiao is now a multimillionaire and an inspiration to Filipinos dreaming of the good life.
Father's name
an interview with the Inquirer, Bacosa said the child was born on Jan. 2, 2004, baptized in a Quezon City church and given Pacquiao's name. She showed Church and legal documents as well as their photos during happier times to bolster her claim.
The 2-year-old child romped in the room in a building on Tomas Morato Avenue in Quezon City where the interview was held.
He is a jolly, fair-complexioned boy, his fists visibly firm and big. When shown a picture of Pacquiao, he shouted in glee: "Manny! Manny!"
Where it all began
Her child, Bacosa said, was a product of two people in love that began at the billiard hall and videoke bar of Pan Pacific Hotel in Manila’s Malate district. Pacquiao was the billiard center's frequent guest and player. She was its billiard "spotter" and waitress.
Bacosa and Pacquio first met there in February 2003.
Initially, the Palawan lass didn't know he was Pacquiao, the boxing star. She had no interest in sports, she said. He was there almost every night, but what she noticed was that Pacquiao was calling her by her first name. The other male customers were simply calling her "Miss."
He was sweet
"He was so nice and sweet. And he was paying me more attention than the rest," Bacosa recalled.
Pacquiao first invited her on a date in April 2003. She was about to wrap up her day's work at 3 a.m. "Because I had grown fond of him, I didn't think twice in joining him."
They drove to a hotel in Pasay City, she said. In no time, Pacquiao and Joanna took a room and stayed there for hours. Before leaving, Pacquiao tried to give her money, but she turned it down, telling him she was not a sex worker.
She was with him because she was in love with him, Bacosa said. She was fully aware, she said, that he was a married man and had two kids by his legal wife.
And came often ...
After the first date, Pacquiao went to the billiard hall more often, and was sweeter to her than he had ever been.
They went out and checked in at the same hotel two more times, each time longer than the first.
On both occasions, Pacquiao offered her some cash, but Bacosa said she turned it down for the same reason: She was with him because of love, not money.
Paquiao once called her, saying he couldn't see her because he was out of town preparing for a big fight. She was a little bit depressed, she said. It was April 29, her 22nd birthday. In less than an hour, he showed up at the billiard hall, saying he only wanted to pull a surprise.
In May 2003, Bacosa learned she was pregnant. When she broke the news to him, Pacquiao appeared jubilant. It was as if he were a first-time father, she said.
He later asked her to stop working and to move to another apartment to keep away from intrigue. She agreed.
In November 2003, he gave her P300,000 as a Christmas gift. This time, she accepted it because she needed to pay her hospitals bills. In January 2004, she gave birth to the boy.
Happy at news of a boy
Told of his son, Pacquiao seemed happy. He saw the boy three weeks later. But soon, the visits came few and far between.
In November 2005, Joanna said she got a call from Pacquiao asking her to see him in Cebu. Mother and son's tickets were provided by Pacquiao's friend, Wakee Salud.
There, at a Cebu hotel, father and son met again after so many months. He was visibly pleased that he allowed someone to take their pictures together.
After the meeting, Pacquiao gave Bacosa P3,000 for the boy. Little did she know that it was to be the last time she would see him.
She kept on calling him. She sent him text messages, pleading for support for the boy. "I will surprise you," she was told. But until she met with lawyer Victor Rodriguez last week, the surprise never came.
She instead got calls from Pacquiao's wife, Jinkee, and some of his friends who tried to prevent her from seeking legal counsel.
Now a wayward truck
On Jan. 31, she was surprised to get a call from Pacquiao himself. But it was no longer the man she knew, she said.
Shouting, he reportedly told her: "What are you doing?" She replied: "Why, what am I doing?"
But Pacquiao had the momentum of a wayward truck.
"If you have a problem, why don't you just talk to me?" Pacquiao yelled at her. "Why do you have to talk to somebody else? What do you want? Financial support? I have helped other people, why do you think I shouldn't help you. Do you want me to have that boy kidnapped so there wouldn't be evidence? Tell your lawyer to shut up or I will sew his mouth."
Bacosa said she had become so afraid of Pacquiao that she didn't want anyone to know where she was staying now.
She said she was fully aware that she might be accused of simply wanting to milk Pacquiao now that he is a multimillionaire.
Love is lost
Under the Family Code, she said, if a woman wins a case, only the child gets support. She wouldn't get anything unless Pacquiao agreed to it.
Part of any settlement she gets when the case is resolved will go to a trust fund, she said. The boy can only use it when he turns 21.
To those who criticized her, Bacosa said she would like to say that telling one's sad story was not an easy thing to do. She is telling hers now, she said, to illustrate that it was love that took place between them.
"I loved him then. Today, I love him not," she said.
