For years, Dong Secuya has been the owner and operator of mannypacquiao.ph, the popular Filipino website which is affectionately known as "Pacland" due to the diehard legions of Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao fans that congregate there for the daily updates on the 8-division world champion gathered from around the internet. In 2003, Secuya launched the website prior to Manny Pacquiao's first real mega-fight, a showdown with Mexican legend Marco Antonio Barrera, in hopes of creating a fan site for "a few ragtag Filipino boxing fanatics who supported the boxing campaign of the then unknown Filipino fighter".
It was no surprise that Manny Pacquiao was the underdog heading into that fight, especially considering that Barrera was on a string of impressive victories over the likes of Naseem Hamed, Erik Morales and Kevin Kelly. However, as we all know, Pacquiao shocked the world with an impressive performance as he steamrolled Barrera en route to a dominant 11th-round TKO victory. Just like that, a new star in boxing was born. With each and every subsequent performance inside the ring, Manny Pacquiao's popularity and fan base continued to grow, and so too did the number of reports and articles about him.
Thankfully, Dong Secuya worked tirelessly to gather all of those headlines and consolidate them into one spot. Fans who wanted more and more information about this new star, who was tearing through the divisions and setting the boxing world on fire, need only visit one place, and that place was Pacland. Throughout the years, more and more fans would continue to make the journey to Pacland, not just to read headlines, but to also conversate with each other, in Pacland's Philippine Boxing Forum, about the exploits of the pound-for-pound champion. In fact, I too have been a long-time member of the Pacland Forums, and I fondly remember the joyous times I've had discussing the various topics regarding Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao, long before names like Oscar De La Hoya, Shane Mosley, or Floyd Mayweather were on the radar.
Times seemed so much simpler back then...
But oh how times have changed. No longer is Manny Pacquiao just some unkown Filipino fighter. Not only is he an 8-division world champion, but he's also a Congressman, so things are not quite as simple as life was back when he was "just doing my job" inside the ring. Now, Manny Pacquiao has become an international celebrity; a worldwide household name that no longer just belongs to us "few ragtag Filipino boxing fanatics" that have supported him throughout the years. Since 2003, many new faces have entered into his life, from Bob Arum to Michael Koncz to Alex Ariza and now Timothy Sladeck, but the one constant has been his fans that always have, and always will, continue to visit Pacland.
Unfortunately, with the enormous fame he now has, Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao has seen fit to change his image. Given his success in boxing, politics, movies, television, and now music, Manny Pacquiao has decided it's time to "consolidate his web presence", as Timothy Sladeck put it. At some point, Pacquiao decided he needed his own "official" website, a task he charged Timothy Sladeck to handle. As such, he first launched mpboxing.com, but later changed the name to mp8.ph. Like Pacland, the goal was to keep fans updated on all things involving Manny Pacquiao, having the added bonus of exclusive behind-the-scenes footage of some of the daily activities carried out by the pound-for-pound champion.
Evidently, the internet isn't big enough for two websites that loyal fans can visit as Manny Pacquiao, according to Sladeck, instructed him to contact Dong Secuya in an effort to make mannypacquiao.ph the official domain name of the Congressman. What may have seemed like a good idea at the time has now turned into confusion and backlash. Unable to work with Timothy Sladeck due to his style of dealing with other people, referred to as "threats and harassment", Dong Secuya made the no doubt difficult decision to discontinue the use of mannypacquiao.ph in favor of a new domain name, pinoygreats.com. As Secuya himself explained, "Pacland has become a place where Filipino pride is being celebrated on a daily, even hourly basis. Pacland is now PinoyGreats.com."
Indeed, what started off as a home for supporters of Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao has now grown into a much larger entity. Pacland is no longer just a place to get updates on Pacquiao; it's a place to learn about and discuss the growing number of Filipinos who are being recognized throughout the world. While it saddens me to hear that Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao ultimately brought this about by encouraging Sladeck to "consolidate his web presence", I truly hope that fame hasn't gone to his head and he hasn't forgotten the loyal fans that have continued to support him ever since he was just an "unknown Filipino fighter".
To Dong Secuya, we thank you for the many years of sleepless nights and the tireless work you've done to keep us ragtag Filipino boxing fanatics in the know about Manny Pacquiao and all the other past, present, and future "Pinoy Greats". We support you 100% in your decision to honor what appears to be Manny Pacquiao's request to no longer use mannypacquiao.ph. He's not the only "Pinoy Great" that we're proud of, and he certainly won't be the last, so I, for one, am proud to call pinoygreats.com my new backyard, my new home, my new Pacland.
To quote Dong Secuya, who should be considered a Pinoy Great in his own right, "Pacland and the Pacland spirit are here to stay."