MANILA, Sept 20, 2021 (BSS/AFP) - Philippine boxing superstar Manny
Pacquiao declared he will run for president in 2022, vowing to tackle poverty
and corruption as he seeks to win over voters with his rags-to-riches story.

   "The time is now -- we are ready to rise to the challenge of leadership,"
Pacquiao -- currently a senator -- said Sunday, as he accepted the nomination
of a rival faction in President Rodrigo Duterte's ruling party.

   The eight-division world champion and beloved national hero made the
announcement weeks after losing what could be his last professional fight,
against Cuban Yordenis Ugas in Las Vegas.

   Pacquiao, who entered politics in 2010 as a congressman before being
elected to the Senate, has long been expected to make a tilt for the
country's highest office.

   The 42-year-old is deeply admired by many in the archipelago nation for
his generosity and hauling himself out of poverty to become one of the
world's greatest and wealthiest boxers.

   But his support for Duterte's deadly drug war, and previous comments
describing gay couples as "worse than animals", have earned the high school
drop-out plenty of detractors.

   "For those asking what are my qualifications, have you ever experienced
hunger?" Pacquiao asked the national assembly held by the anti-Duterte
faction of PDP-Laban.

   "Have you ever experienced having nothing to eat, to borrow money from
your neighbours or to wait for leftovers at a food stall? The Manny Pacquiao
that is in front of you was moulded by poverty."

   Pacquiao's star power in a country famed for its celebrity-obsessed
politics will put him in a strong position in the presidential race.

   But it will not guarantee victory.

   Reaction to his announcement has been mixed, with some questioning the
boxer's suitability for the presidency.

   "Seriously, Manny? You're an inspiration in boxing but I can't compromise
to let you run my country," said one Twitter user.

   A public skirmish between Pacquiao and Duterte over the latter's handling
of the South China Sea dispute with Beijing and official graft could also
erode support for the boxer.

   Duterte -- who is constitutionally allowed to serve only one term as
president -- rivals Pacquiao in the affections of many Filipinos and declared
last month he would run for the vice-presidency.

   A party faction loyal to Duterte also endorsed the president's close aide,
Senator Christopher Lawrence "Bong" Go, for the top job -- but he has so far
declined the nomination.

   Pacquiao would face a formidable opponent if Duterte's daughter, Sara,
were to run for president, which she is tipped to do.

   A recent poll showed the Davao city mayor -- who belongs to a different
party to her father -- with the most voter support, well ahead of Pacquiao
and other potential contenders.

   The deadline for registering as a candidate for next year's elections is
October 8.

   - Deep divisions -

   The nomination of two candidates for president from PDP-Laban showed "how
deep the divisions in the ruling party are", said Eurasia Group analyst Peter
Mumford.

   "A key watchpoint will be whether most of the anti-Duterte camp falls in
behind Pacquiao or whether it splits with multiple different presidential
candidates," Mumford said.

   "The former would complicate Duterte's succession plans by making victory
for the eventual Duterte-backed candidate less assured."

   Pacquiao, a devout evangelical Christian, was a high-profile backer of
Duterte and his controversial anti-narcotics campaign.

   International Criminal Court judges last week authorised a full-blown
investigation into that policy, over the alleged unlawful killing of possibly
tens of thousands of people.

   Pacquiao told AFP in a recent interview that he would continue the
crackdown, but in a "proper way" that does not abuse "the rights of
individuals".

   Asked if he would protect the current president from criminal charges if
he became leader, he said: "All of us are bound to the law."