Manny Pacquiao, a Filipino boxer and current senator of the Philippines has said he will run for president next year. In a video released on Facebook last Friday, Pacquiao criticized President Rodrigo Duterte’s “cozy” relationship with China and vowed to pursue anti-corruption policies if elected.
Pacquiao, one of the best boxers of all time and the only one to hold world titles in eight divisions, accepted his political party’s nomination for president days after a rival party nominated Duterte’s longtime lieutenant, Christopher “Bong” Go, as its presidential candidate.
“I am a fighter, and I will always be a fighter inside and outside the ring,” Pacquiao said in a live-streamed speech during the assembly. “I am accepting your nomination as candidate for president of the Republic of the Philippines.”
A group of senators allegedly supported Duterte for vice-president, which critics voiced as a manipulative ploy by the Duterte administration to stay in power. Duterte is unable to run for a second six-year term as president. Go declined the nomination, but the confrontation between the Pacquiao and Duterte factions has skyrocketed. Manny Pacquiao is lagging behind the frontrunners in public opinion polls, which have been consistently topped by Sara Duterte-Carpio, the daughter of President Rodrigo Duterte.
In July, Pacquiao was removed as PDP-Laban leader, weeks after challenging Duterte over his views on China and his record on fighting corruption, but his supporters rejected his removal. More than 10 billion pesos in pandemic aid intended for impoverished families was unaccounted for, and Duterte’s friend and frequent sparring partner Manny Pacquiao had suggested the figure might be as much as 11.5 billion pesos (about £145 million).
The anti-corruption campaign emerges as the Senate has launched an inquiry into allegations of overcharging for medical supplies and equipment purchased through the government pandemic response program. Duterte challenged Pacquiao to name instances of corruption in government jobs to demonstrate that he is not simply political maneuvering before the election. Pacquiao countered by warning of jail for corrupt government officials. “Your time is up,” he said.
The 42-year-old is deeply admired in the Philippines for his generosity and hauling himself out of poverty to become one of the world’s greatest and wealthiest boxers. His boxing credentials and fighting poverty and corruption are likely to be the key themes of his campaign.
“For those asking what are my qualifications, have you ever experienced hunger?” Pacquiao asked the national assembly held by the anti-Duterte faction of PDP-Laban.
“Have you ever experienced having nothing to eat, to borrow money from your neighbors, or to wait for leftovers at a food stall? The Manny Pacquiao that is in front of you was molded by poverty.”
