For this Manny, Manny being Manny means Manny doesn’t show up … at least when it comes to public appearances in Hawaii.

But don’t blame Manny Pacquiao, says the local promoter of one of the canceled events, Larry Rutkowski. Rutkowski says he lost around $20,000 because the hugely popular boxer from the Philippines didn’t appear for an autograph session at the Ala Moana Hotel on Sunday.

Rutkowski spent most of the day sitting where he would’ve been ushering in a big crowd at the hotel’s ballroom, as he did previously for a similar show featuring NFL Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith.

Instead, he issued refunds to disappointed Pacquiao fans who had paid $55 each to get items signed by Pacquiao, or $10 just to get in the room with him.

In front of the table at which he sat was a poster promoting the event, but with the word "CANCELED" printed across it.

"I’m trying to do the right thing. Some of them felt sorry for me and bought some things to help defray my losses," said Rutkowski, who had boxing gloves and other items for purchase that were intended for Pacquiao to sign.

Even as Pacquiao representatives told other promoters the boxer would not be in Hawaii, forcing cancellation of other appearances last week, Rutkowski held out hope for his event because, he says, he had a "signed contract" from Pacquiao’s marketing agent seven weeks ago.

Rutkowski says he thinks Pacquiao (or, perhaps, Pacquiao’s people) canceled the week in Hawaii because the boxer was overbooked for public appearances, some that Pacquiao wasn’t even made aware of.

NO ONE is surprised. Or, no one should be surprised.

Remember the concert he was supposed to perform at in 2010? That one was canceled, due to poor ticket sales. Go figure. Apparently not enough people wanted to pay to watch a boxer sing.

It’s like the Pacquiao camp is Lucy and Pacquiao’s fans in Hawaii are Charlie Brown — the football gets pulled away at the last second and Charlie Brown ends up on his okole. Again.

It would be amusing if it weren’t so embarrassing, the way local politicians and the University of Hawaii fell over each other in an attempt to exploit Pacquiao with shameless photo ops and proclamations and the like, all fostered by an epidemic of Pac-Man Fever.

Is UH that desperate for people to come to Aloha Stadium that it has to honor a boxer who has never fought a real match in Hawaii?

Is there anything more nauseating than unrequited fawning by public officials?

Maybe irrelevant, unrequited fawning.

Yes, our state has a large Filipino population, and some of us remember when Hawaii was a boxing hotbed. But how does that justify a butt-smooching Manny Pacquiao Day? Because California did it? Sure let’s do what California does, that state’s even more broke than Hawaii.

BOXING IS on shaky ground as it is, and booking fights is always an iffy proposition — especially big ones. Also, it’s hard to envision a big-time boxing match in a state with no legal gambling.

I’m all for trying to bring big events to Hawaii. But last week’s no-show does not bode well for dreams of Pacquiao-Mayweather in the islands. Many of us wonder if that will happen at all anyway — anywhere.