FILE PHOTO: Senator Manny Pacquiao. INQUIRER
TAGBILARAN CITY – Boxing icon and presidential aspirant Manny Pacquiao has welcomed the decision of Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte to run for vice president in next year’s polls.
“Lahat may karapatan na tumakbo. Lahat binibigyan ng karapatan para magpapili. At the end of the day ang tao naman ang pipili kung sino ang ilalagay nila dyan,” Pacquiao told reporters at Radisson Blu Hotel in Cebu City.
(Everyone has the right to run for public office. Everyone has the right to be voted upon. At the end of the day, it will be the electorate who will choose who to put in a specific position).
Pacquiao was in Cebu City on Saturday to attend the wedding of the son of Rep. Rodrigo Abellanosa of Cebu City’s south district.
He and Vice President Leni Robredo, who is also seeking the presidency, were among the principal sponsors.
Pacquiao said he is ready to face anyone in the political arena and would not bother himself with the political plans and actions of the other candidates.
“Ang hiling ko lang naman sa taumbayan eh mag-isip silang mabuti. Pag-isipan nilang mabuti kasi parang pinaglalaruan na lang tayo…pinaglalaruan yung taumbayan,” Pacquiao said.
(All I want for the people is to carefully choose who to lead the country because it seems that there are people who are just manipulating the people).
He stressed that as far as he is concerned, there is no turning back on his bid for the presidency. He said he would vigorously pursue his plans to share to the people his genuine desire to serve and fulfill his quest to get rid of corruption in all levels of governance.
Pacquiao also met with the MP3 Movement, a coalition of volunteer leaders pushing for his presidency.
In his speech, Pacquiao reiterated his promise to launch an all-out war against corruption and would build a “mega prison” that would be solely intended for corrupt government officials.
He said that this facility would be equipped with closed-circuit television cameras that are fed directly to Malacañang as well as a hospital to house detainees who suddenly get sick when they are on trial.
Pacquiao said he will make sure there won’t be a phone signal inside the mega prison.
His meeting with the MP3 Movement was followed by a forum with young Cebu businessmen where Pacquiao revealed his plan to provide zero-interest loans for micro-small and medium enterprises so that they can immediately recover from their losses during the pandemic.
“Naging champion na ako sa maraming weight divisions sa boxing. Gusto ko naman maging champion sa public service. (I already became a champion in many weight divisions in boxing. Now, I want to be a champion in public service),” Pacquiao said.