Did You Know? Manny Pacquiao Once Gave Long Mejia a Car in Exchange for Adobo

Long Mejia reminds audiences that he's a veteran comedian on LOL: Last One Laughing, a reality competition show hosted by Vice Ganda. For the uninitiated, the Prime Video series gathers 10 Filipino comedians in one room with one strict rule: do not laugh. Otherwise, they could be eliminated and lose their chance to win P1 million. With his humor and clever tactics, Long had his fellow contestants struggling to keep a straight face.

While Long continues to be in the spotlight today, his career hasn't always followed a steady trajectory. He experienced financial setbacks along the way, but also received help and support from many people—including the Philippines’ own Pambansang Kamao, Manny Pacquiao.

Long sat down with Charo Cordial at the shop of her fine jewelry brand, Maddox Jewelry, and chatted about his career. He shared that he didn’t come from a financially comfortable background and initially tried his luck as a comedian in hopes of improving his circumstances. He eventually entered show business, starring in numerous projects alongside some of the country's comedy greats.

After getting a taste of a better life, Long admitted that he wanted to experience many of the things he couldn’t afford before. However, he ended up spending much of his earnings, which took a toll on his finances. He also recalled how Manny Pacquiao generously gave him a car when he didn’t have one, asking for just one thing in return: “Isang kalderong native na manok—adobo.” He also recalled this experience in a separate interview with Julius Babao.

One of the conditions, Long told Julius, was Manny had to see him actually cook the dish. "Dapat nakita niyang niluluto ko. Niluto ko yan sa bahay ni Bayani Agbayani," he recalled, referring to his friend and fellow comedian. Having grown up in the province, Manny could tell whether the chicken was genuinely native.

Long recalls Manny saying, "Native nga. Ito kapalit," before revealing a gold Toyota Corolla GLI. While Long didn't specify the exact year when this happened, he noted that the model was popular at that time.

It wasn’t the only time the Pambansang Kamao shared his blessings with the comedian. Manny also gifted Long a Rolex, although the story came with a twist. “Nagkita kami. Sabi ko, kahit kailan, hindi pa ako nagkaka-Rolex,” he narrated to Charo. Upon hearing this, Manny promptly gave him a watch, only for Long to discover that it was fake.

“Pinuntahan ko si Manny Pacquiao. Sabi ko peke, tawa siya nang tawa.” Manny later admitted that he had given Long the fake watch as a prank before eventually handing him an authentic Rolex.