Philippines’ Pacquiao says he is not to be counted out of presidential race

By Karen Lema and Neil Jerome Morales

MANILA (Reuters) – Shrugging off his low ranking in opinion polls, Philippine politician and former boxing star Manny Pacquiao says his impoverished roots make him the most effective individual to be president, as he warned voters to keep away from corruption-tainted candidates.

Pacquiao questioned why individuals supported Ferdinand Marcos Jr, the present frontrunner for the Could 9 vote, pointing to the plundering of the nation’s wealth throughout the harsh authoritarian rule of his late father and namesake.

“The basis reason for our nation’s drawback is corruption after which we’d vote for a candidate who has been tainted by corruption? What occurred to us as a nation? The place is our intelligence?” Pacquiao mentioned in an interview with Reuters late on Thursday.

Pacquiao is trailing in fourth place on 6% within the newest opinion ballot, effectively behind Marcos, who’s main with 56%.

The incumbent senator has made preventing corruption a centrepiece of his marketing campaign, vowing to strengthen efforts to recuperate billions of {dollars} lacking because the fall of the Marcos dictatorship in 1986, as half his anti-graft platform.

Marcos’s household was accused of plundering an estimated $10 billion throughout his late father’s two-decade rule, spending it on jewelry, actual property and artworks together with these of Pablo Picasso and Claude Monet.

“Why are we in poverty? As a result of we do not have cash? Improper. Due to corruption,” Pacquiao mentioned at his marketing campaign headquarters.

Marcos’s camp didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark, however the candidate has beforehand mentioned he can’t apologise for what his father did.

Pacquiao has additionally sparred with incumbent President Rodrigo Duterte over territorial disputes within the South China Sea. He mentioned he wouldn’t be bullied by China if he received the presidency.

“I dare you, trouble the Filipino fishermen and I am the one you would need to face,” Pacquiao mentioned in feedback addressed at China. “To be bullied just isn’t in my vocabulary.”

China reiterates its claims of sovereignty within the disputed waterway every time Manila complains about its actions in the direction of Filipino fishermen.

Duterte has confronted criticism for not confronting China extra over the conduct of its army, coast guard and fishing fleet in waters across the archipelago, arguing it was pointless since Manila was no match for Beijing’s army may.

If want be, Pacquiao vowed to deploy navy ships within the disputed waters to guard his nation’s fishermen and mentioned he valued his nation’s relationship with the USA, which he referred to as as “our greatest good friend.”

The one man to carry boxing world titles in eight totally different divisions, Pacquiao retired from boxing in September after the game introduced him enormous riches to propel him from humble beginnings as a dirt-poor teenager doing odd jobs to outlive.

Pacquiao mentioned he was unfazed by his low ranking in polls, satisfied the poor would ship the votes for him on election day.

His impoverished beginnings made him the most effective individual to tackle the presidency, as a result of he understood what it was prefer to be poor, he mentioned.

“If we’re going to talk about poverty, that isn’t an idea for Manny Pacquiao. I felt and lived that and that’s the reason I wish to raise the individuals out of poverty,” he mentioned.

(Reporting by Karen Lema and Neil Jerome Morales; Modifying by Ed Davies and Stephen Coates)