Can Philippine boxing icon Manny Pacquaio fight corruption? Some OFW voters are doubtful
- Pacquaio has left behind an illustrious career to run for president – but some fans say they can’t see him as ‘anything more than a boxer’
- Overseas voters are sceptical over his ability to stamp out longstanding corruption issues, while others cite disbelief over his 22-point plan for reforms
When Philippine boxing legend Manny Pacquiao recently filed his certificate of candidacy to run for president in next year’s election, overseas Filipino workers (OFW) were watching closely.
Regarded as a national hero, Pacquiao earned enormous support across his 26-year career, with many fans abroad consistently following his fights on pay-per-view television. Some spent their hard-earned savings to watch his bouts live.
But as he hangs up his boxing gloves for the biggest political fight of his life, the adulation he’s come to expect from overseas fans may not help him, with OFWs reporting mixed feelings about his candidacy even as he rises to fourth place in a new domestic opinion poll.
Among the 2.2 million OFWs, more than 430,000 voted in the 2016 presidential election. Over half of these votes came from just five places: the United Arab Emirates, United States, Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia and Singapore. Overseas workers are one of the lifelines of the Philippine economy, remitting home US$33.5 billion in 2019 alone, contributing nearly 10 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).
Pacquaio has vowed to crack down on corruption should he win the election. In July, he claimed that 10 billion pesos (US$200 million) in Covid-19 pandemic relief funds were misappropriated by the current government.
I have high respect for him as a boxer and a person. But leading the country is a different story
