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Philippines presidential race: former boxer Manny Pacquiao enters the ring for 2022
- Pacquiao and President Rodrigo Duterte belong to the same party but the former boxer has accused the leader of being too friendly with China
- Pacquiao trails the front-runners in opinion polls, which have been led consistently by Duterte’s daughter, Sara Duterte-Carpio
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Boxing star Manny Pacquiao on Sunday said he will run for president of the Philippines next year, after railing against corruption in government and what he calls President Rodrigo Duterte’s cosy relationship with China.
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Pacquiao accepted the nomination of his political allies during the national assembly of the faction he leads in the ruling PDP-Laban Party, days after a rival faction nominated Duterte’s long-time aide, Senator Christopher “Bong” Go, as its presidential candidate.
That faction nominated Duterte for vice-president, a move that critics called a cynical ploy by Duterte to retain power.
Go declined the nomination, but the rift between the Pacquiao and Duterte factions has escalated.
“I am a fighter, and I will always be a fighter inside and outside the ring,” Pacquiao, 42, a senator, said in a live-streamed speech during the assembly. “I am accepting your nomination as candidate for president of the Republic of the Philippines.”
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Pacquiao’s faction has not expressed support for Duterte’s vice-presidential bid. Duterte is prohibited by the constitution from running for a second six-year term as president.
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