President Manny Pacquiao?
Could happen. The former eight-division boxing champion, nominated by his PDP-Laban party at its national convention Sunday, said he will run for the highest office in the Philippines.
“I am a fighter, and I will always be a fighter inside and outside the ring,” Pacquiao said in his acceptance speech, according to The Associated Press. “… We need government to serve our people with integrity, compassion and transparency.”
Pacquiao, 42, would succeed the current president, Rodrigo Duterte, who cannot run for a second six-year term. Duterte was nominated to be vice president by a rival faction in Pacquiao’s party and accepted.
Some have questioned the boxer-turned-senator’s qualifications to be president. He said the poverty he endured helps him connect with those suffering in his country.
“In my whole life, I have not backed down on any fight,” said Pacquiao, who added that corrupt politicians “will soon end [up] in jail together.”
Duterte has drawn international criticism for his brutal tactics in his effort to control illegal drug use.
The International Criminal Court recently announced it would “investigate allegations of crimes against humanity linked to the crackdown that has left thousands dead,” The AP reported.