GENERAL SANTOS CITY—Manny Pacquiao need not worry about what to give his mother, Mommy Dionisia (or Mommy D, for short), on her birthday next week.
She has already decided what gift she wants—her billionaire-son’s retirement from the ring and an Hermès bag, to boot.
“Your retirement will be your greatest gift to me this Mother’s Day and on my birthday,” Mommy D said the other day (Mother’s Day), recounting to reporters what she said she had told Manny.
She spoke shortly after the Filipino ring icon toyed with American Shane Mosley in their World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title fight in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Mommy D said she also wanted her son to gift her with an Hermès designer bag.
“That would be a lovely bonus from Manny,” she said.
The champ’s mother will turn 62 on May 15.
Symbol of wealth
Costing $1,000 (P42,930) and up, an Hermès’ bag has become a symbol of wealth and luxury for many women. The latest products posted on Hermès’ website shows a day pouch priced at $1,000 and a unisex shoulder day bag priced at $7,750 (P332,707.50).
Singer-turned-fashion designer Victoria Beckham reportedly owns 100 Hermès Birkin bags. Hollywood stars Katie Holmes, Julia Roberts, Hilary Duff, Kelly Brook and Jane Birkin—after whom one of the Hermès lines is named—have also been spotted carrying Hermès bags.
In the Philippines, celebrities who own Hermès bags include Liezl Martinez, Carmina Villaroel and Janna Dominguez.
Like a princess
“Manny will spend for my party and we’ve got the money for it,” Mommy D said.
She said she also had custom-made gowns, including one in aqua blue, that she said would make her look like a princess.
Last year, Manny gifted his mother with a diamond jewelry set worth P800,000, aside from hosting a lavish party, to mark his victory in the congressional election in Sarangani province.
Lost bet
Mommy D wasn’t the only mother thinking of an Hermès bag during the Pacquiao-Mosley fight.
Emma Granada, a 60-year-old boxing fan from Nueva Ecija province, told the Inquirer that her businessman-grandson, Jimmy, had promised to buy her an Hermès if Mosley won.
In turn, Granada said, she promised to buy him something he could use in his car if Pacquiao emerged the victor.
Emma, of course, never got the Hermès.
“I lost the bet and a bag like Dionisia’s,” Granada said as she and her family were leaving the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City, where they had watched a telecast of the fight.
“I bet on Mosley, and Jimmy on Manny to add to the fun of this day,” said Granada.
Bag worth P4.3M
In the Hermès’ bags collection is the now classic Birkin handbag, with customers even having their names wait-listed just to get one. Each bag reportedly requires a single, flawless hide, which may take six months to two years to find.
The Birkin handbag can be customized so that its $7,000 (P300,510) starting price can go up to more than $100,000 (P4.3 million).
A black crocodile Birkin handbag with 169.97 grams of white gold and 10.86 carats of diamonds costs about $148,000 (P6.4 million).
Asked why she did not own an Hermès bag, Kris Aquino, in a May 2009 interview with the Inquirer, said her mother made her promise not to buy one for herself or she would be “really upset.” With a report from Almi M. Ilagan, Inquirer Research
(Sources: https://www.hermes.com/; https://www.time.com; https://inquirer.net; https://www.articlesbase.com; https://www.dailymail.co.uk; Inquirer archives)