Pacquiao: 95 percent of people in gov’t see politics as business

FILE PHOTO: World boxing champ-turned-politician Senator Manny Pacquiao at the Senate floor on March 23, 2020. (Henzberg Austria/Senate PRIB Files)

MANILA, Philippines — In the eyes of presidential aspirant Manny Pacquiao, 95 percent of people in government see politics as a form of business that engaging in corrupt activities seems inevitable.

The incumbent senator issued this statement as he lamented the government’s practice of borrowing money for its expenses.

“Sa nakikita ko, 95 percent sa mga nasa gobyerno ang iniisip nila ang pulitika is business. Parang gripo na pwede kang magsahod ng tubig, kikita ka na. Magkakaroon ka na ng tubig,” Pacquiao said in a press conference.

(The way I see it, 95 percent of people in government see politics as a business. It’s like a faucet that you can just get water from.)

“Ang iniisip ng iba, ‘pag nasa gobyerno ka, yayaman ka. ‘Pag nasa gobyerno ka, kikita ka, may pera ka. ‘Yun ang iniisip ng iba kaya puro nakaw ng nakaw,” he added.

(Some think that if you’re in the government, you will get rich—that if you are in government, you will earn money. That’s why some just steal from the government.)

According to Pacquiao, the country has to focus on strengthening the economy so that there will be no need to borrow money in times of calamity or to pay off expenses.

However, Pacquiao said this is hard to achieve if there are corrupt government officials.

“Kung ako ang padre de pamilya, kung ako ang nagma-manage ng bahay, hindi ko papayagan na ang household ko nangungutang para sa expenses. Gusto ko kung gumagastos ang pamilya ko ng P10,000 a month, kailangan magsikap ako na ang income ko more than P10,000 para hindi tayo nangungutang,” Pacquiao said.

(If I am the patriarch and I am managing the household, I will not let my household borrow money for our expenses. If we spend P10,000 a month, then let’s strive to earn more than P10,000 so that we do not need to borrow money.)

“Anything na may sakuna, may mga kalamidad, hindi tayo mangungutang. May pondo tayo… Hindi natin magagawa ‘yan basta nandyan yung mga kurakot, mga kawatan,” he added.

(We will not borrow money in times of calamities, we have funds for that. But we cannot do that if the corrupt officials are there.

Pacquiao renewed his vow to put those involved in corrupt activities behind bars should he be elected as president in next year’s elections.