Rumor: Manny Pacquiao Lights Southeast Asian Games Cauldron In 'Pre-Taped' Event

Boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao was taped to light the cauldron at the New Clark City Athletic Stadium in the Philippine town of Capas to signal the formal start of the 30th Southeast Asian Games.

Recruiting the eight-division world champion for the said job is a no brainer because the Philippines is hosting the biennial mini Olympiad pitting all the 11 Southeast Asian nations this year and there is no better way to make it special than the country's current sports hero doing the cauldron lighting.

However, based on how many viewers observed the broadcast of the said cauldron lighting, in which Pacquiao lit it along with current women's boxing champion Nesthy Petecio, something is apparently not right. Nick Giongco of the Manila Bulletin confirmed what many thought about the cauldron lighting.

According to Giongco, the cauldron lighting was already done way before the opening ceremonies and that the said lighting activity was already recorded for the actual broadcast.

"When the cauldron is set ablaze on Saturday night at the New Clark City (NCC) in Tarlac (the province where Capas is located), Manny Pacquiao would probably be sitting comfortably on a couch in General Santos City, marveling at his handiwork that signaled the formal opening of the 30th Southeast Asian Games," Giongco said in his report.

A few days before the report surfaced, however, there was an early hint that Pacquiao and Petecio may have already lit up the giant torch. A video of a fireworks display at the exterior of the NCC Athletic Stadium went viral on Tuesday night in which the cauldron was seen already lit up.

Another possible clue to the pre-taped cauldron lighting broadcast happened hours before the start of the opening ceremonies. Erwin Aguilon of radio station DZIQ reported through Twitter that the NCC Athletic Stadium was put on a security lockdown and fans who wished to enter the stadium were advised to go home instead.

Aguilon later confirmed from a person knoweldgeable of the situation that the cauldron lighting was indeed already pre-taped.

Philippine SEA Games Organizing Committee chief operating officer Tats Suzara said in an earlier interview that the lighting ceremonies will be open to the public, but the recent development was an apparent far cry from it.

According to Giongco, however, Pacquiao and Petecio already lit the cauldron on Sunday night in a so-called "test run". Coincidentally, the SEA Games actually began on Sunday with the mixed 4-6 goals polo event at the Miguel Romero Polo Field in Calatagan, a town way south of Capas.

The report added that there was actually a plan for Pacquiao and Petecio to do the cauldron lighting live, but PHISGOC eventually nixed it in favor of broadcasting the test run instead as Pacquiao left for General Santos on Wednesday.

The reported nixing of the live lighting, however, is understandable as the weather in Capas was forecast to be rainy due to a typhoon that is expected to bring heavy rains in all the provinces where the SEA Games are happening: Tarlac, La Union, Pampanga, Zambales, Metro Manila, Laguna, Cavite, and Batangas.

But as it turned out, the weather was fine in Capas, and a live fireworks display and cauldron lighting still took place. Were Pacquiao and Petecio actually there? Your guess is as good as mine.