Sen. Manny Pacquiao at a recent rally for his presidential bid. (Photo from his Facebook page)
MANILA, Philippines —- With the May 9 elections just two weeks away, thousands of supporters and members of Christian groups on Saturday gathered in San Juan City in a show of force for the presidential bid of Sen. Manny Pacquiao.
Over 8,585 people attended the hours-long prayer rally at the historic Pinaglabanan Shrine in San Juan City — a memorial built to commemorate the heroism of the Katipunan in the 1896 Battle of Pinaglabanan.
Saturday’s prayer rally — which coincided with the sorties of Vice President Leni Robredo in Pasay City and former Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in Manila — was graced by singers, Christian pastors, Pacquiao’s closest political allies, and family who turned out to back him in the greatest fight of his life.
The area of the Pinaglabanan Shrine and the San Juan City Hall turned festive late Saturday afternoon as his supporters and Christian groups got in the mood with pre-event performances from Freddie Aguilar’s folk singers, singer Kris Lawrence, and Chichi Atienza, daughter of Pacquiao’s running mate House deputy speaker and Buhay Rep. Lito Atienza.
The venue was a mixture of black, white, and blue shirts — blue being Pacquiao’s campaign color. During the rally, bags of Chooks To Go chicken — which Pacquiao endorses — were seen being distributed to the attendees.
The main program began at around 6 p.m. after almost two hours of preliminary performances amid the summer sun, which did not discourage people from gathering at the venue.
Pacquiao, who has consistently ranked fourth in pre-election surveys, has previously said he was relying on the vote of Christian groups to propel him to Malacañang.
Throughout his campaign, the born-again lawmaker has made it a point to meet with Christian pastors who backed his presidential bid.
In his sorties, he always regaled crowds with his story of rising from poverty to become one of the world’s greatest boxers and his change as a man of God when he became a Born-Again Christian.
Muslim leaders also joined the event to pray for Pacquiao, who hails from General Santos City in Mindanao.
The expected highlight of the event was Pacquiao’s address to his supporters, with his wife Jinkee and elderly mother Dionisia accompanying him in the last stretch of the campaign period.
Several personalities turned up at the “gathering of believers” of Sen. Manny Pacquiao to exhort a crowd of reportedly 11,000 to vote for the retired boxing champ.
Eid Kabalu, the former spokesperson of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, called Pacquiao a “rare personality and leader” that appears only once in a century.
“Pacquiao is a rare personality, a leader who emerges only once in a century… Let us accept him as our leader and not let him go, because if we do we will not encounter someone like him in the next hundred years,” Kabalu said.
Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, chair of one faction of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino – Lakas ng Bayan, called his colleauge a “master planner.”
“His initials are MP, also for ‘master planner. He already has a plan for the Philippines,” he told the crowd, citing Pacquiao’s free housing program.
Pacquiao’s 72-year-old mother Dionisia also took to the stage to urge the crowd to vote for her son on May 9.
“I hope that you will vote for my son as a gift to me on my 73rd birthday on May 15,” Dionisia said to the cheers of her son’s supporters.
Other senatorial bets under Pacquiao’s slate who appeared in person or through recorded messages to express their support for Pacquiao were Joel Villanueva, Loren Legarda, Lutgardo Barbo, and JV Ejercito.
1-Pacman Rep. Enrico Pineda and his son Enzo were among other personalities who backed Pacquiao’s candidacy on Saturday night.
Other celebrities present to rev up the crowd with performances and spiels were: Eddie Gutierrez and Annabelle Rama, broadcast journalist turned actor Mari Kaimo, singer Mitoy Yonting, Pacquiao’s son Michael, and Jimuel who sent a recorded message from the United States.
Pacquiao arrived at past 7 p.m. and delivered a 20-minute speech before a crowd that reached 12,383 as of 9:30 pm.
“The candidacy of Manny Pacquiao is a revolution for the poor. If you are suffering in silence, you have no home of your own, then join me in this fight. The fight of Manny Pacquiao is for the poor Filipinos,” said the retired boxing champ, who enjoyed a meteoric rise to fame and riches in the boxing world.
Pacquiao also referred to the significance and history of the Pinaglabanan Shrine, saying: “Here in Pinaglabanan, we begin a revolution for the poor Filipinos, for real change. Let us work together as I, Manny Pacquiao, will stand and fight for you all.”
His speech was capped with the sound of several trumpets and a fireworks display at the historic shrine.
Towards the end of the program, he also gamely threw mock punches and “knocked out” four half-naked men who represented corruption and various government agencies where corruption is rampant.
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