The popular Mexican puncher did not take a sip. He took a big swig and wound up taking more until the wee hours of the morning, according to somebody who witnessed how the 30-year-old two-time Manny Pacquiao victim drank glass after glass of the country’s longtime favorite cerveza, San Miguel.

Instead of hitting the sack after a back-breaking 16-hour flight from the US West Coast on board Northwest Airlines, Morales checked in at the Diamond Hotel at around midnight and spent the new couple of hours drinking San Miguel. Morales, who was knocked out by Pacquiao in less than three rounds in Las Vegas in November last year, was joined in the trip by his wife and another compatriot.

"Ang lakas uminom," said one fellow who saw how Morales gulped beer as though it was crystal-clear mineral water.

Pacquiao was also in Manila during the weekend and immediately left for Davao yesterday morning although it was learned that the two had met and had a few rounds before retreating to their rooms.

As for Morales, he had brunch at around 11 a.m. and had a sandwich and was said to have been in the Alabang area during the afternoon at the invitation of a Filipino friend from San Diego, California, where Morales has a home.

It could not be determined if Morales’ arrival would herald the filming of the much-talked about commercial with San Miguel featuring him, Pacquiao and trainer Freddie Roach.

San Miguel bosses had earlier expressed disgust that the news of the planned commercial had come out in the media since they’d been holding out information about it the past weeks and it was Roach who broke the news of the commercial when he was interviewed by a US-based boxing website and the Bulletin on the same day it appeared on the net.

Even the arrival of Morales in the country was kept secret even by members of Pacquiao’s local management team and two ranking members had different statements when told about Morales’ arrival hours before his actual arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International where a crew from channel 7 was able to get a footage of Morales walking towards the exit.

"Pare, huwag nyo na pakialaman ‘yan," said Eric Pineda, sounding agitated over the phone on Saturday evening. Pineda did not elaborate.

Another one was not pissed but he nevertheless denied that Morales was coming over.

"Nobody’s stopping you (media) from writing about it, but you might get burned (by false information)," said Relly de Leon.

Meanwhile, the choice of Pacquiao’s next opponent for his April 28 fight in Macau will only be known after Jan. 12.

Even Pacquiao could not say who among nine fighters will be tapped to square off with him.

"Wala pa. Hindi pa kami nagde-decide," said Pacquiao from Davao.

Top Rank is giving Golden Boy Promotions until Jan. 12 to decide whether it will accept or reject an offer for Pacquiao to face Marco Antonio Barrera under the Top Rank banner.

Although GBP has said that it will stage a Barrera bout against Juan Manuel Marquez on March 17, Top Rank is still opening the door on the possible tie-up between the two rival outfits even just for the Pacquiao-Barrera rematch.