Rian Gabriel Fuentes

The Philippines was first in economic ranks during Ferdinand Marcos Sr. 's 1965 presidency, says re-election Senate hopeful Manny Pacquiao during his Certificate of Candidacy (COC) filing on October 7. 

Photo Courtesy of Rappler/Britannica/Boy Cabrido.

“Lagi nating sinisisi ang pamilya Marcos pagdating sa korapsyon, hindi ba natin nakikita na sa panahon ng Marcos, ang bansa natin number one sa ekonomiya—may korap bang bansa na number one sa ekonomiya?” he said. 

As the boxing figure-turned-politician is now part of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s senate slate, he defended himself against strongly criticizing Bongbong. 

He claimed to have been asked about corruption, and his response was not directly related to the president. 

“Kung may ninakaw, dapat ibalik… Ang gobyerno natin kailangan ng due process,” he added. 

Pacquiao promised to continue fighting corruption once re-elected in the Senate. 

“Ipagpatuloy ko ang adbokasiya na labanan ang korapayon sa aking panungkulan sa senado,” he said. 

He lost in the 2022 presidential election against President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., placing third with more than three million votes. 

According to the September 2024 Social Weather Stations senatorial preference survey, Pacquiao is expected to gain a senate seat, ranking around 11-13.

However, he performed better during the March 2024 polls, landing in spot 6-7.