MANILA, Philippines — Presidential aspirant Sen. Manny Pacquiao is confident that he would secure the votes of the people in Visayas and Mindanao because he is the only genuine “Bisaya” (Visayan) among all the presidential candidates as he revealed plans to do a week-long sortie in the Davao region before going home to General Santos City to celebrate his 43rd birthday on December 17.
Pacquiao, who was born in Bukidnon but grew up in General Santos City, is banking on his Visayan roots as his father is from Cebu while his mother, Mommy Dionisia, is from Sarangani.
For the past several months, Pacquiao has been going around in Mindanao and the Visayas to share his vision to uplift the lives of poor Filipinos and his commitment to stop corruption in all levels of governance.
“Importante yung Mindanao na ikutin ko kasi alam ko na yung mga kababayan ko na mga Bisaya, eh sa lahat ng mga kandidato ako lang ang Bisaya, so I’m sure lahat ng mga taga Visayas at Mindanao, saan pa ba sila susuporta kundi sa kababayan nila na Bisaya,” Pacquiao told media in a press conference after leading the opening ceremonies of the Chooks-to-Go Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) Invitational Tournament at the MOA Arena in Pasay City.
“Kukumustahin ko lang sila doon,” Pacquiao said when asked for confirmation of his plan to go around the Davao region which is perceived as a bailiwick of the Dutertes.
In the same press conference, Pacquiao shared his plan to provide funding to modernize barangay health centers and community hospitals to lessen the burden of the country’s provincial and regional hospitals.
He said that the government must learn its lesson from the COVID-19 pandemic which overwhelmed the country’s provincial and regional hospitals because of the sheer volume of patients who were afflicted with the dreaded virus.
“Yung mga health care facilities in every barangay , palalakasin natin, pagagandahin natin. Bibigyan natin ng budget para di na sila bababa pa ng bayan o pupunta pa sa malayong lugar. Kahit doon sa barangay pwede na silang gamutin” Pacquaio said.
Pacquiao said that if elected as president, he would also provide free hospitalization for senior citizens on top of their discounts and would also establish an OFW Hospital to cater to overseas workers and their dependents.