Pacquiao appears at tax court, preaches to employees

MANILA, Philippines - After successfully defending his WBO welterweight title against Chris Algieri, world boxing champion Manny Pacquiao took on one of his other roles – being a preacher.

Pacquiao yesterday appeared at the Court of Appeals (CA) and preached before the magistrates and court employees in a Christian fellowship during their lunch break.

As in previous encounters, Pacquiao shared his life story and how his life changed after converting from Catholicism to evangelical Christianity.

“I drink, I womanize, I was gambling. I was not ashamed. That was my life before. I was not a godly person. I just knew there was God,” he shared.

But now, Pacquiao said the Bible is his manual to life and he was taught to follow the commandments and understand God’s will.

“I always read the Bible. I always cry whenever I read the Bible because I felt guilty,” he said.

Pacquiao urged the audience, who included CA presiding Justice Andres Reyes Jr., to follow what he called “instructions” to salvation in the Bible.

“To get license or passport we have to provide requirements for license or passport. The same thing if we want salvation, we have to do the requirements,” he said.

Pacquiao also recited John 6, verse 39 and 40 in his sharing: “And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”