Famous boxer and Philippine senator Manny Pacquiao announced on Sunday that he will
run for president in his country's 2022 elections.
Pacquiao accepted the nomination of his PDP-Laban party at the national convention and declared that the Filipino people have been waiting for a change of government.
[Pacquiao hints that his retirement from the ring is close, although in politics he is just beginning]
"I am a fighter, and I will always be in and out of the ring,"
said Pacquiao, 42, in his speech.
"We need the government to serve our people with integrity, compassion and transparency," he added.
Pacquiao is the president of the PPD-Laban faction, led by him and Senator Aquilino
Koko
Pimentel III.
Another group from the same party nominated President Rodrigo Duterte as the vice presidential candidate earlier this month, and Duterte's former aide, Senator Bong Go, as the presidential candidate.
A former world boxing champion is arrested in Puerto Rico for alleged sexist violence
Sept.
9, 202100: 21
[Boxer Félix Verdejo will remain in prison for the femicide of Keishla Rodríguez in Puerto Rico]
Duterte, who is prohibited by the Constitution from running for a second six-year term, has accepted the nomination, but Go has declined to run for president.
Duterte has directed a brutal campaign against illegal drugs, and
said last week he would rather "die first" before facing an international tribunal, a day after the International Criminal Court announced that it would
investigate allegations of crimes against humanity
related with the repression that has left thousands of deaths.
Pacquiao has accused the Durterte Administration, his longtime ally, of worsening corruption in the Philippines.
The boxer told critics of his nomination that his experience of personal difficulties will allow him to better understand the suffering of the people and fight poverty and corruption.
[A former world boxing champion is arrested in Puerto Rico for alleged sexist violence]
"In my entire life, I haven't backed down from any fight,
" Pacquiao said.
He warned that politicians whom he considers responsible for corruption "will soon end up in jail together."
In this photo provided by Manny Pacquiao MediaComms, Senator Manny Pacquiao, left, raises his hands during a national convention of his PDP-Laban party in Quezon City, Philippines, on Sunday, Sept. 19, 2021. Manny Pacquiao MediaComms via AP
Pacquiao, who is idolized by millions of Filipinos, has created controversy in the past for saying he opposes gay marriages as a sin against God and for supporting the death penalty, which is not recognized in the Philippines.