Opening and Closing Ceremonies
On June 12, 2008, the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) revealed that its executive committee had selected swimmer Miguel Molina to be flag bearer at the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games. In their decision, the POC cited Molina's performance in the 2007 Southeast Asian Games, where he won three individual gold medals and a team relay gold medal, set several national swimming records, and was selected as the meet's "Best Male Athlete". Molina was set to compete in the 200m breaststroke and 200m individual medley events at the games.
Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo later asked the POC to reconsider their decision, requesting instead that popular Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao be given the honor of carrying the flag. Pacquiao was not a competitor at the games, but had recently won the World Boxing Council lightweight title in a highly publicized fight against David Diaz. POC president Jose Cojuangco agreed with the president's decision, saying having Pacquiao as flag bearer would be a morale booster to the athletes. Though the deadline for changing of the national contingent's composition in the Olympiad has already elapsed, special arrangements were made for Pacquiao to be given accreditation. On July 9, 2008, POC announced that everything had been cleared for Pacquiao to be official flag bearer. Miguel Molina, who did not mind yielding the honor to Pacquiao, was instead given the role of flag bearer at the closing ceremony.
The games' opening ceremony was attended by President Arroyo, the first Philippine president in history to do so. The Philippine delegation was the 164th to enter the Beijing National Stadium in the parade of nations.
Read more about this topic: Philippines At The 2008 Summer Olympics
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