MANILA – (UPDATE) Due to a delayed start, Manny Pacquiao’s four-city victory motorcade has been re-routed to Malacanang where the boxing hero is to make a courtesy call to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

The motorcade, which started some 20 minutes behind schedule, left the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Quezon City was originally scheduled to cross Manila, Pasay and end in Makati City.

The motorcade was to pass the streets of Visayas Ave., Road 1, Mindanao Ave., North Ave., EDSA, West Ave., Quezon Ave., Araneta Ave., Magsaysay Ave., Lacson (formerly Forbes), the Pritil Market, Moriones, R10, Zaragosa, Delpan and the Delpan Bridge, Bonifacio Drive, Kalaw, Taft Ave., Pedro Gil, Tejeron, A. Francisco, Onyx, Dagonoy, Amatista, P. Ocampo, Arellano, Estrada, Taft Ave., Quirino Ave., Adriatico, P. Ocampo, Harrison, Buendia, Ayala Ave., Makati Ave. and end at the Pag-ibig Building.

It was, however, re-routed from Quirino Avenue and began moving to Malacanang. Pacquiao was originally scheduled to meet with President Arroyo at 10:45 a.m.

Instead of proceeding to the Pag-Ibig Fund headquarters in Makati City from its tour through the streets of Manila, Pacquiao’s convoy of 30 vehicles broke from its planned route and went straight to Palace at 10:40 a.m.

While Quezon City folk seem to have given the victory motorcade a cold shoulder earlier in the morning, thousands flocked to the streets of Manila to personally see the boxing champ.

With Marlon Ramos, Philippine Daily Inquirer