Manny Pacquiao has a fight. He is fighting coronavirus.
The Filipino senator is buying testing kits and face masks. He also has donated buses to transport medical personnel to where they are needed in Manila
Pacquiao told The Manila Bulletin he will work with his fellow citizens where ever he has to, even if it puts him at risk of infection.
He told The Bulletin that he was “not afraid to die.” He said it was his duty to help fellow Filipinos.
‘If you are a leader, you have to be a front-liner,’’ Pacquiao said. “You have to lead people and let people see that you are with them. I grew up poor. I know what they feel.”
According the The Bulletin, Pacquiao has helped pay for testing devices and surgical masks. He said he is waiting on a shipment 50,000 more testing kits from China.
Pacquiao had been hoping for a return to the ring in July. He last fought last July 7, scoring a split-decision victory over Keith Thurman for a welterweight belt in Las Vegas.
For now, however, he has shelved plans for a comeback.
“This is the first thing we need to pay attention to,’’ said Pacquiao, who is also concerned that hunger and looting will happen because of the spreading virus. “That’s chaos, and that’s what I fear could happen.”