AS expected, it was generally peaceful across the country yesterday as   boxing icon and Sarangani Representative Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao fought with Mexican great Juan Manuel Marquez and scored a 12-round unanimous decision.

An avid Pacquaio fan, Philippine National Police chief Director General Nicanor A. Bartolome led the 140,000-strong police force in congratulating the Filipino superstar for his victory over his bitter rival even as he noted an almost zero-crime incident situation in Metro Manila and other parts of the country.

On orders of Bartolome, police continued to patrol the streets to ensure the safety of the public and watched “soft targets” including various movie-houses, hotels, restaurants and public gymnasiums where the Pacquiao-Marquez fight was shown.

Local police units were ordered not to lower their guard against criminal elements and threat groups that may take advantage of the situation yesterday. Only off-duty personnel were allowed to watch the live telecast of the fight in selected PNP camps and other public viewing venues.

Bartolome watched the fight live with off-duty policemen at the Camp Crame multi-purpose hall where a widescreen was put up by the Public Safety Mutual Benefit Fund, Inc. for policemen and their dependents.

Those who were unable to see the fight live in movie houses and giant screens put up by police, military and local government units contented themselves with listening to the live broadcast of GMA-7’s radio station DzBB.

Traffic was also relatively light in several streets in the metropolis with many tuning in to broadcasts of the bout on radio. As in many of Pacquiao's past fights, many in downtown Manila gathered near appliance stores selling television sets that showed the fight. Few jeeps and tricycles were seen plying their routes as drivers queued in public gymnasiums to watch the fight live.