PACQUIAO AND POLITICS (PART VII - CONCLUSION)
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 17 Oct 2015
Congressman Manny Pacquiao filed his certificate of candidacy for senator at the COMELEC office in Intramuros, Manila beating the Friday deadline. Pacquiao was accompanied by his wife Jinkee and sons Emmanuel Jimuel, Jr. and Michael Stephen.
Pacquiao declared he has a new opponent in the Senate and that is poverty. He said he will be the "fists of the poor" as a Senator, where he would be their champion.
Among the other programs that he would give priority, if given the chance to serve in the Senate, are free public education up to the college level, and the welfare of the overseas Filipino workers.
He filed under the United Nationalist Alliance, apparently in a last minute decision when Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte did not run as President.
Pacquiao said he would push for free, quality public education, citing himself was a school drop out when he was a child because they could not afford to go to school.
He said that there were more than four million out-of-school youth and promised to send more scholars to college just like the thousands of students he had sponsored now.
The fighting congressman also vowed to combat the abuses that overseas Filipino workers have suffered and would spearhead a comprehensive assistance framework to the more than 2 million expats who worked abroad.
Our OFWs remitted billions but some of them were abused by their employers and others were jailed, and Pacquiao said he would provide them protection including their families.
Peace in Mindanao would be another top agenda if elected, and he commented about the Bangsamoro Basic Law if it was really the solution to the conflict in the south. He said that the government must resolve the trouble in a non-partisan and just manner.
He would also support the farmers and work to provide them incentives and subsidies and prevent the smuggling of agricultural products, which greatly affect their livelihood.
As an athlete he said he would put a sports development reform program in place. Filipino children who have the potential to excell in sports would be trained extensively from their early age until they are well prepared for international competition.
"It is time for the Philippines to be known as a force in sports," Pacquiao said before his supporters.
Pacquiao has just arrived from the United States where he was honored by the Asia Society as "2015 Game Changer of the Year" awardee at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
Hundreds of Pacquiao's well wishers were cheering outside the COMELEC national office. Even election officials took pictures and selfies with him.
Truly Manny Pacquiao is "The People's Champion."
P.S. This writer filed his certificate of candidacy as Maasin City Vice Mayor under the Liberal Party, being on his last term as City Mayor. He was also able to serve Maasin City previously as Vice Mayor for three terms and Councilor for two terms.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.
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