Many Filipinos are nervous as we count the hours before Manny Pacquiao’s March 14 fight with Joshua Clottey, but not because of a fear of defeat. Its because of the power outages and brownouts bedeviling the entire country for weeks now.

Just today, the island of Luzon suffered from rotating brownouts after three major power plants reportedly went down. Power was restored in the afternoon, to the collective sigh of relief of a people suffering from El Nino.

Nationwide, everyone seems to be looking forward to a March 14 without any brownouts that could deprive countless Filipinos with the joy of watching yet another Pacquiao fight. A government spokesman had to face the media today to give assurances to the public that they will try their best not to have outages right at the very moment the country would be watching its favorite son fight in Texas.

Pacquiao fights are a national pastime and are rare occasions for Filipinos to display national unity and pride. Traffic in Manila and elsewhere in the country goes on a standstill and the police routinely report zero crimes each time Pacquiao faces another boxer on the ring. Local governments set up free public viewing of the fights in gymnasiums, while the well-to-do could get better options via pay-per-view sites or have brunch at restaurants and hotels with satellite feeds and big LCD and Plasma screens. Brownouts could potentially spark protests. The Philippine Daily Inquirer says it could be a “national calamity” if brownouts occur on March 14.

In Southern Mindanao, where Pacquiao’s hometown of General Santos City is located, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines has pledged that it would do everything to prevent any outages in time for the Pacquiao-Clottey fight.

President Arroyo and Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes should know by now that they should do everything to make March 14 a brownout-free day. Otherwise, they face the wrath of the people of the Republic of Pacquiao.