Philippine boxing hero mulls running for president – could face off Duterte’s daughter in 2022
Philippine boxing legend Manny Pacquiao is likely to run for the country’s presidency at the May 9, 2022 elections when he finally retires from the ring, AFP reported.
“I’m a politician, all politicians are dreaming for the higher position,” the news wire quoted him as saying from his southern hometown of General Santos in southern Mindanao.
Pacquiao’s star power in a country famed for its celebrity-obsessed politics would put him in a strong position in the presidential race, but it would not guarantee victory, the report said.
The move comes after Pacquiao, who used to be a high-profile backer of incumbent President Rodrigo Duterte and his controversial drug war, embarked onto a public skirmish between over Duterte’s handling of the South China Sea dispute with Beijing.
Anti-drugs crackdown would be continued
Pacquiao, who is currently serving as a Senator of the Philippines and as party president of the ruling center-left Partido Demokratiko Pilipino–Lakas ng Bayan, or PDP-Laban, party, said that he would continue the anti-drugs crackdown, but in a “proper way” that does not abuse “the rights of individuals””
Asked if he would protect the current president from criminal charges if he became leader, he said: “All of us are bound to the law.”
Pacquiao would face a formidable opponent if Duterte’s daughter, Sara, were to run for the top job as widely expected.
A recent poll showed the Davao city mayor – the same position her father held before he took power in 2016 – with the most voter support, well ahead of Pacquiao and other potential contenders.
Still, Pacquiao 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.
Sending corrupt politicians to jail
He promises to pull no punches if he were to become president – starting with sending “hundreds or thousands” of crooked politicians to a purpose-built “mega prison”.
“There are so many problems in this country caused by corruption… there’s no economic growth and development, there’s no improvement,” he said, according to AFP.
Philippine boxing legend Manny Pacquiao is likely to run for the country’s presidency at the May 9, 2022 elections when he finally retires from the ring, AFP reported. “I’m a politician, all politicians are dreaming for the higher position,” the news wire quoted him as saying from his southern hometown of General Santos in southern Mindanao. Pacquiao's star power in a country famed for its celebrity-obsessed politics would put him in a strong position in the presidential race, but it would not guarantee victory, the report said. The move comes after Pacquiao, who used to be a high-profile backer of...
Philippine boxing legend Manny Pacquiao is likely to run for the country’s presidency at the May 9, 2022 elections when he finally retires from the ring, AFP reported.
“I’m a politician, all politicians are dreaming for the higher position,” the news wire quoted him as saying from his southern hometown of General Santos in southern Mindanao.
Pacquiao’s star power in a country famed for its celebrity-obsessed politics would put him in a strong position in the presidential race, but it would not guarantee victory, the report said.
The move comes after Pacquiao, who used to be a high-profile backer of incumbent President Rodrigo Duterte and his controversial drug war, embarked onto a public skirmish between over Duterte’s handling of the South China Sea dispute with Beijing.
Anti-drugs crackdown would be continued
Pacquiao, who is currently serving as a Senator of the Philippines and as party president of the ruling center-left Partido Demokratiko Pilipino–Lakas ng Bayan, or PDP-Laban, party, said that he would continue the anti-drugs crackdown, but in a “proper way” that does not abuse “the rights of individuals””
Asked if he would protect the current president from criminal charges if he became leader, he said: “All of us are bound to the law.”
Pacquiao would face a formidable opponent if Duterte’s daughter, Sara, were to run for the top job as widely expected.
A recent poll showed the Davao city mayor – the same position her father held before he took power in 2016 – with the most voter support, well ahead of Pacquiao and other potential contenders.
Still, Pacquiao 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.
Sending corrupt politicians to jail
He promises to pull no punches if he were to become president – starting with sending “hundreds or thousands” of crooked politicians to a purpose-built “mega prison”.
“There are so many problems in this country caused by corruption… there’s no economic growth and development, there’s no improvement,” he said, according to AFP.
