Boxer and senator Manny Pacquiao was elected president of the PDP-Lanban, which is the political party of the Philippines leader Rodrigo Duterte, and winner of the 2019 legislative and municipal elections.
“Fair but firm, this is the kind of leadership that can be expected of me,” said Pacquiao on Wednesday night in Manila after taking office and positioning himself as a possible candidate for the Philippine presidency in 2022, something that has been speculated for months.
“Having this rare opportunity to lead the PDP-Laban is an immense honor and responsibility. By the grace of God, I will not waste this platform that has been entrusted to me ”, said the current world welterweight boxing champion and an idol in the Philippines.
Pacquiao, senator since 2016, replaces at the head of the PDP-Lanban Senator Koko Pimentel, another great ally of Duterte and who highlighted the boxer’s ability to “bring new and modern ideas that the party needs before the 2022 elections”.