ILLUSTRATION BY RENE ELEVERA
The much-maligned mascot of the 30th Southeast Asian Games has again taken center stage after the games’ official opening on Saturday night at the cavernous Philippine Arena in Bocaue town, Bulacan province.
Named after the Filipino translation of the word family, Pami didn’t exactly get a warm reception during its revelation in December last year.
Ramon Suzara, chief operating officer of the games’ organizing committee, said in a previous TV interview that Pami represents “nations, athletes and persons coming together [to] support each other at the Games.”
No official explanation on what Pami is exactly. This is the first time since a mascot’s institution in 1985, that it didn’t look like an animal.
Manila’s hosting in 1991 had Kiko Labuyo, a fighting cock, while 2005 had Gilas, a Philippine eagle.
Social media users have come as far as calling the mascot a stress ball, a perfect fit for the early foul-ups that the hosting has encountered thus far.