Sen. Manny Pacquiao and President Rodrigo Duterte (Photo from Malacañang)
MANILA, Philippines — Senator Manny Pacquiao has denied “attacking” President Rodrigo Duterte after he criticized government corruption under the current administration, saying he wishes to work with the Chief Executive in cracking down on corrupt officials.
“I’m not attacking the President. Baka mali lang yung perception nila…kasi yung advocacy niya is against corruption, katulong ako kasi ang pinaka punot dulo talaga ng problema ng ating bansa is corruption,” Pacquiao said in an interview on Teleradyo on Thursday.
(I’m not attacking the President. Maybe some have the wrong perception…because his advocacy is to fight corruption, I want to help because the root of the country’s problem is corruption.)
“I agree and support the President. Yung advocacy niya na sugpuin yung corruption and ang pangarap ko sa buhay, gusto ko makita ang mga kawatan ng gobyerno na nasa kulungan,” he added.
(I agree and support the President. His advocacy is to eradicate corruption and my dream is to see corrupt government officials behind bars.)
“Sana hindi siya (Duterte) magalit sakin dahil kung ang kampanya niya sa corruption, e tinutulungan ko lang siya,” he further said.
(I hope he won’t get angry at me because I just want to help in his anti-corruption campaign.)
Earlier, Duterte warned that he would campaign against the senator should the latter fail to name corrupt agencies in the current administration.
The President claimed the senator had supposedly said the current administration is “three times more corrupt” than the previous one.
“I am not questioning your ability, intellectually or what,” Duterte had said. “But if you can’t do that, I will be after you every day. I will expose you as a liar.
Pacquiao accepted Duterte’s challenge, telling the President he is not a liar.
“Nagpapasalamat ako sa ating Pangulo na binibigyan tayo ng pagkakataon,” the senator said in his Teleradyo interview.
(I want to thank the President for giving me this opportunity.)
He said there have been individuals reaching out to him about alleged corruption in the government.
Pacquiao said he did not publicize them because he does not want to insult the President.
“Maraming nagbibigay sa akin na mga issue ng corruption na mga papers. Ayoko lang kasi malabas dahil baka insulto sa pangulo na parang nagiimbestiga ako kung ano yung mga corrupt,” he said.
(Many have been coming to me and giving me papers to prove these issues of corruption. I just don’t want to put them out because it might be seen as an insult to the President, it may seem like I’m investigating the administration.)
“Yung mga tao lang, siguro nagtiwala din sila sakin, binibigay sakin yung mga ebidensya nagsusumbong sa akin,” he added.
(It’s just that the people, I guess they trust me, are giving me these pieces of evidence.)