Senator Panfilo Lacson said Friday that boxing champion turned senator Manny Pacquiao wants to run for president in the 2022 elections.
“Two or three times he approached me and sat beside me and he said, ‘Baka pwedeng mag-usap tayo.’ Kasi ‘yun nga, may plano nga siya, baka pwedeng tulungan siya especially sa budget, ‘yung mga ganun,” he told ANC’s Headstart.
(Two or three times he approached me and sat beside me and he said, ‘Perhaps we can talk.’ Because he has plans, and perhaps he can be aided especially on the budget, stuff like that.)
When asked if Pacquiao is planning to run for president, Lacson said: “Yeah, that early. I think this was late last year.”
“Sinabi naman niya and he’s quite open about it. Although ayaw niyang pag-usapan because of COVID. In fairness to him, consistent naman siya na COVID na muna tayo, wag muna ‘yung politika,” he said.
(He said it and he’s quite open about it. Although he does not want to talk about it because of COVID. In fairness to him, he is consistent that we should prioritize COVID, not politics at the moment.)
Lacson reveals Pacquiao wants to run for president in 2022
In December 2020, Pacquiao’s special assistant said the senator is still praying for his 2022 national election plans.
“Ipinagdadasal pa ni Sen. MP ang mga plano niya para sa 2022. Sa ngayon, ang kaniyang priority eh kung paano makatulong sa ating mga kababayan, lalo na sa mga naging biktima ng bagyo,” Jake Joson said when asked if Pacquiao would run for president in 2022.
Senator Manny Pacquiao is now the new president of President Rodrigo Duterte’s party PDP-Laban. He vowed to fight corruption and for the marginalized.
“We are not beholden to big businesses, foreign entities, nor vested interests, but only to the Filipino people. We are here to fight for the poor, the jobless, the homeless, the voiceless, and the hopeless. This is what the PDP-Laban under Manny Pacquiao will stand for,” Pacquiao said in a speech during the PDP-Laban Fellowship Night.
In June 2020, Top Rank promoter Bob Arum also claimed that boxing champ turned senator Manny Pacquiao is planning to run for president of the Philippines in 2022.