Sports
Boxer Manny Pacquiao declares for Philippine presidency in 2022
Agency Report
Philippine boxer-turned-politician Manny Pacquiao declared Sunday he will run for president in 2022, ending months of speculation about whether the legendary fighter would seek the country’s top job.
“The time is now — we are ready to rise to the challenge of leadership,” said Pacquiao, as he accepted the nomination of a rival faction in President Rodrigo Duterte’s ruling party.
The eight-division world champion and beloved national hero made the announcement weeks after losing what could be his last professional fight against Cuban Yordenis Ugas in Las Vegas.
Pacquiao, who entered politics in 2010 as a congressman before being elected to the Senate, has long been expected to make a tilt for the country’s highest office.
The 42-year-old is deeply admired in the archipelago nation for his generosity and hauling himself out of poverty to become one of the world’s greatest and wealthiest boxers.
His boxing credentials along with 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 neighbours or to wait for leftovers at a food stall? The Manny Pacquiao that is in front of you was moulded by poverty.”
AFP
-
News23 hours ago
Unknown gunmen kidnap four in Abuja community
-
Politics20 hours ago
May Day: Edo LP guber candidate Akpata vows to prioritize welfare
-
News22 hours ago
Adeleke boasts of loan-free tenure 16 months into Osun administration
-
Metro21 hours ago
FG offers free train rides on Port Harcourt-Aba railway
-
News19 hours ago
19 dead as highway collapse in Guandong, China
-
Entertainment17 hours ago
Nigerian lady attempts GWR for longest time spent painting nails
-
News21 hours ago
May Day: Akpabio assures workers of improved welfare
-
News14 hours ago
Labour unions demand immediate reversal of electricity tariff hike