Pacquiao casts vote in wife’s home province Saranggani

Photo from camp of Senator Pacquiao.

MANILA, Philippines — Presidential candidate Senator Manny Pacquiao cast his vote on Monday morning for the 2022 national elections in his wife Jinkee’s hometown province.

Pacquiao arrived at the Kiamba Central Elementary School in Kiamba City  around 11:30 a.m.

His running mate House Deputy Speaker Lito Atienza is expected to cast his vote at around noon at the Rafael Palma Elementary School in Quezon City.

Pacquiao, a world renowned boxer, announced his presidential bid on September 19, 2021. He was declared as the candidate of the then split PDP-Laban faction under the leadership of Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel.

The other faction, led by Energy Sec. Alfonso Cusi, around the same time, declared Senator Bong Go and party chairman President Rodrigo Duterte as their standard bearers in the May 9 polls.

The Cusi-led PDP-Laban wing then filed a petition before the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to declare the Pacquiao-Pimentel faction as illegitimate.

Amid the controversy gripping the ruling PDP-Laban party at that time, Pacquiao filed his certificate of candidacy on Oct. 1 under the Probinsiya Muna Development Initiative or Promdi, which is one of the political organizations under the MP3 alliance.

The MP3 alliance consists of the PDP-Laban party, Promdi, and the People’s Champ Movement.

In filing his certificate of candidacy, Pacquiao was accompanied by House Deputy Speaker Lito Atienza, who he would later announce as his running mate for the 2022 elections.

This month, the Comelec ruled in favor of the Cusi-led PDP-Laban wing’s petition and declared it as the “true and official members” of PDP-Laban.

During the 90-day campaign period, Pacquiao focused his platforms on alleviating poverty, jailing corrupt politicians, and free housing.

He said his presidential run is a “revolution of the poor,” saying this fight of his life is for those suffering in poverty like he did when he was young.

The boxert-turned-politician made fighting corruption and poverty the centerpiece of his campaign. He said his impoverished roots make him the best person to succeed President Rodrigo Duterte at the helm of the country.

He vowed to provide houses to millions of Filipinos, build a “mega-prison” for corrupt government officials, and increase the minimum wage of workers.

Pacquiao started his political career when he ran for a congressional seat in the province of South Cotabato in the 2007 midterm elections.

He lost to the Antonio-Custodio political clan in General Santos City.

Pacquiao again attempted to enter politics. In the 2010 polls, he gunned for Sarangani’s congressional seat.

He finally won that round.

In the 2016 national elections, Pacquiao then tried his hand at a Senate seat, where he also succeeded.

He garnered over 16 million votes, landing 7th among the 12 new members of the upper chamber of Congress.

For the 2022 polls, Pacquiao improved his numbers in the latest Pulse Asia pre-election survey, placing third among preferred presidential candidates with a 7% voter support.

He is behind Ferdinand Marcos Jr. who is leading with a 56% rating and Vice President Leni Robredo who had a 23% rating.

/MUF