Speaking to CNN in a November 11 interview, the presidential candidate said he plans to investigate several members of President Rodrigo Duterte’s outgoing administration.
“All those corrupt officials should be jailed,” he said. “That’s the only way we can grow the economy in our country, because that’s the cancer of this country, the obstacle to growth.”
Pacquiao hopes to succeed Duterte when the Philippines goes to the polls on May 9, 2022, with the official campaigning scheduled to start until February.
But the race has heated up.
Pacquiao’s program included trying to recover some of the “stolen wealth” from the Marcos family, who had been exiled for more than five years after the 1986 revolution.
“I’m not scared,” Pacquiao said. “This is my fight to bring development to our country, to imprison those who continuously steal the wealth of the Philippines. I want them to go to jail.”
An open field
Duterte-Carpio, 43, will run for vice president – elected separately from the President – on the same ticket as Marcos Jr., cementing the alliance between the two powerful families.
Among the other main contenders for the top job is Mr. Duterte’s longtime aide, Senator Christopher “Bong” Go; incumbent vice president and Duterte critic Leni Robredo; and Manila Mayor Isko Moreno, a former actor.
According to Richard Heydarian, an associate professor of politics at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, dynasties and celebrities have dominated the country’s politics since the fall of the Marcos dictatorship.
“For a while, celebrities presented themselves as an alternative to political dynasties,” he said. “However, just because you’re a celebrity doesn’t mean you’ll win.”
But Pacquiao still has a fighting chance.
The broad candidate pool, combined with the Philippines’ one-on-one voting system, could give the former boxer an advantage, said Heydarian.
“Don’t forget, in the Philippines, we don’t have midterm elections,” he said. “All you have to do to be President is win more votes than everyone else.”
In 2016, Mr. Duterte did just that – won the presidency with more than 39% of the vote.
Despite criticism that he prioritizes his boxing career over his congressional role, Pacquiao’s political star has risen over the past five years under Duterte’s rule.
But the relationship between the two men has fractured in recent months.
Signs of a rift in the ruling PDP-Laban party began in March when the former boxer criticized Mr. Duterte’s stance on maritime disputes with China and accused government agencies of corruption.
Pacquiao said: “The Filipino people are very disappointed with the way those in charge of Covid response are handling the pandemic. “We are the laughing stock of the Covid response and government corruption.”
The race for the presidency has been repeatedly overshadowed by the controversial incumbent, who is currently facing an International Criminal Court investigation over his “war on drugs”, in which Police say more than 6,600 people were killed. The government has said it will not cooperate with an international investigative body because the Philippines has a functioning justice system.
According to Heydarian, the outgoing President “needs a bastion, because the International Criminal Court will most likely push for a full investigation. And we could even see arrest warrants for some officials. top in the Philippines.”
Pacquiao said he would investigate the Duterte administration for its role in the killings.
Pacquiao said: “I will continue the war on drugs properly. “You don’t have to kill them on the street, there’s a legal process, (gives) them a chance to defend themselves to prove they’re innocent.”
Pacquiao’s popularity
As a child, he sold sweets and cigarettes on the street to provide for his siblings and single mother and started his boxing career fighting for a few pesos in matches. according to the law.
As the only boxer to have ever won world titles in eight different weight divisions, Pacquiao retired from boxing this year after a brilliant 26-year career.
According to Heydarian, from Polytechnic University of the Philippines, although his non-traditional career path has disappointed many in the middle class, Pacquiao is extremely popular among poor Filipinos who are inspired by his rich story, according to Heydarian, from Polytechnic University of the Philippines.
“Pacquiao has 100% name recognition, Pacquiao has a lot of money, he has (a) network across the country and he’s a very attractive guy,” Heydarian said. “He also comes from a very poor background (and) his life story is also incredibly inspiring.”
Pacquiao says it’s his unusual path – and the success he’s created for himself – that sets him apart from other contenders.
“I’m not a traditional politician,” Pacquiao said. “I am a very progressive and outspoken person, I do not hesitate to say what is right.
“I want to give the Filipino people a good life, a good future, that’s my goal, that’s why I entered politics.”
Additional reporting by Reuters and CNN’s Ben Westcott.
