Boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao just announced that he will be running for president of the Philippines next year. The eight-division world boxing champion made the announcement a few weeks after losing what could be his last professional fight against Yordenis Ugas in Las Vegas.
ABC News confirms that Pacquiao accepted the nomination of his PDP-Laban party at its national convention last Sunday, as he takes a strong stance against corruption, blaming President Duterte for a worsening situation of the Philippines.
“I boldly accept the challenge of running as PRESIDENT of the Republic of the Philippines, with a message to those who are taking advantage of the Filipino people: YOUR TIME IS UP!” Pacquiao wrote on his Facebook page.
“I am a fighter and I will always be a fighter inside and outside the ring. In my life, I have never backed down because… I need to stand up and fight,” he boldly said in his acceptance speech during the assembly in Quezon City that was held as a video conference as per the Inquirer.
Pacquiao further said: “It’s time for the downtrodden to win. It’s time for our nation to rise up from poverty. It’s time for us to have a clean government where every centavo will go to every Filipino.”
Pacquiao is currently the president of the PDP-Laban faction led by him and Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimento III.
Another faction of the same party nominated President Rodrigo Duterte earlier this month to be its vice presidential candidate, while President Duterte’s former aide, Senator Bong Go, was nominated as its presidential nominee. Mr. Go, however, has declined to run for president.
Pimentel, the son of the late senator and PDP founder Aquilino Pimentel Jr., said his group was ready to take on the faction aligned with Duterte and led by his energy secretary, Alfonso Cusi as per the Inquirer.
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