Eman Bacosa Pacquiao shares how dad Manny finally gave him the family name
It was a tale straight out of a teleserye, but this one involved the true story of eight-division world champion boxer Manny Pacquiao and his illegitimate son Emmanuel "Eman" Joseph Bacosa Pacquiao.
In the Nov. 9 episode of Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho, Eman, 21, narrated his difficult childhood, and how it took years before his father Manny finally acknowledged him as his son.
The amateur boxer was thrust into the limelight when his fight against Nico Salado was one of the 13 matches featured in Thrilla in Manila 2 on Oct. 29. The event was organized by the older Pacquiao's MP Promotions to mark the 50th anniversary of the original Thrilla in Manila, which was top-billed by Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier.
Eman's win by unanimous decision pushed him into the public eye. His last name certainly also helped, as well as his good looks, which netizens have been comparing with actors Piolo Pascual and DingDong Dantes.
But underneath it all was a child just wanting to make his father proud.
When he was nine years old, Eman told Jessica Soho, he and his mother went to Manny's home, where the elder Pacquiao was celebrating his birthday. They were made to wait at the gate for hours, Eman recalled.
"Siguro hindi rin alam ng daddy ko na nandoon kami," he said.
Growing up, Eman said he always knew who his father was. And when school bullies found out, they frequently challenged him to fistfights after school, then ganged up on him to beat him up.
"Noong maliit pa po ako, naintindihan ko na 'yung sitwasyon. Maaga po akong nag-mature [dahil] sa mga nangyari sa buhay ko. Natintindihan ko po na meron siyang sariling pamilya. Kaya hindi na po ako masyadong nagtatanong [kung] bakit," Eman said, refering to Manny's five children with his wife Jinkee.
He was an angry kid, Eman said; always envious of other children who had fathers around, especially on Father's Day.
Finally, in 2022, 10 years after they last saw each other, Eman again went to his father's home. Unlike when he was nine, he was ushered inside, where Manny warmly embraced him.
"Niyakap ko rin siya. Pinipigilan ko po luha ko. Sobrang saya ko na nakita ko siya noon. Hanggang ngayon, hindi ko po makalimutan 'yung moment na 'yun," Eman recalled.
But more than the long-overdue meeting, Manny gave his son a more lasting gift: He signed a legal document where he officially acknowledged Eman as his son, giving Eman the Pacquiao name. Until then, Eman went by his mother's last name, Bacosa.
"Sabi niya, 'Anak, gawin na kitang Pacquiao para mabilis pag-angat mo sa boxing'," Eman recalled his father telling him. Since he was nine, Eman had been wanting to become a boxer like his father.
In a heart-to-heart talk with his dad, Eman said, "Humingi siya ng tawad sa akin; pinatawad ko na rin siya. Sabi ko po sa kanya, 'Dad, naiintindihan ko naman po ang sitwasyon mo. Ang importante lang sa akin [ay] makasama kayo.'"
Manny was initially hesitant to encourage Eman to continue boxing and told his son to just study and offered to send him to America.
"Pero sabi ko, 'Dad, passion ko po ang boxing,'" Eman said. He has since received boxing tips from his father, and even trained with him once.
After his Thrilla in Manila 2 win, Eman posed for a photo with his father and Jinkee, showing all was well with them.
"Maayos naman po kami ni Tita. Paminsan-minsan, nag-uusap naman po kami," Eman said of his father's wife.
He has also met Dionisia "Mommy D" Pacquiao, his paternal grandmother.
When Manny introduced his son to his mother, Eman recalled Mommy D saying, "'Hala, kamukha mo talaga, Man.' Kamukhang kamukha ko po raw si Daddy pagdating sa pananalita at sa ugali."
Eman currently lives with his mother, stepfather, and siblings in Antipas, North Cotabato.
