MANILA – With his billions and international recognition as currently the best pound-for-pound fighter, political parties are in a race to convince Manny Pacquiao to run with them in 2010.
The latest party to join the battle over Pacquiao is the Lakas-Kampi-CMD.
Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita revealed Wednesday that they are trying to convince Pacquiao to run for senator under the Lakas-Kampi-CMD banner.
Pacquiao has reiterated to ABS-CBN News that he is bent on running in next year’s election. He, however, did not confirm which position he is gunning for.
“Tuloy iyong pagtakbo ko next year (my plan to run in the elections next year is still on),” Pacquiao told ABS-CBN’s Umagang Kay Ganda on Tuesday.
Reports have it that Pacquiao is planning to run for congressman in Sarangani province. He was previously reported to have been earlier courted to run for congressman in Quezon City.
Other reports said the Nacionalista Party (NP) of Sen. Manny Villar is also trying to recruit Pacquiao.
Reports said Willie Revillame was courting Pacquiao to run under NP when he seeks a seat in Congress in 2010 elections.
The main host of the popular noontime show “Wowowee,” however, denied the speculations.
Estrada support
Former president Joseph Estrada, in an exclusive ABS-CBN News interview, said that his Puwersa ng Masang Pilipino party is supporting Pacquiao’s run in Congress.
“I have already raised his hand. I think he’ll do good,” Estrada said, referring to a previous visit to the boxer’s province.
Estrada, meanwhile, said he believes Pacquiao can run in 2010 even without the support of a political party “because of his success.”
“Not only in terms of popularity, also of logistics and he has enough money,” the former president said.
There were estimates that Pacquiao earned more than a billion pesos in his fight against Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto.
He was recently listed by Forbes magazine as the world’s 6th highest-paid athlete earning $40 million in the 12 months from June last year.
