RSA puts Pacquiao ‘endorsement’ to rest

MANILA, Philippines — Business tycoon Ramon Ang, the newly appointed chief executive officer of San Miguel Corp., recently clarified a statement that was erroneously attributed to him regarding the possible presidential bid of Sen. Manny Pacquiao in 2022.

“I was told that some people believe that I am endorsing Manny Pacquiao’s candidacy. That is certainly not the case,” he said.

Ang explained that during an online forum with journalists last week, he was asked by one of the attendees who he thought would be the likely winner in next year’s presidential elections.

Although Ang himself never got a chance to answer, other participants brought up Pacquiao’s name, and the conversation steered toward this scenario.

This led a business columnist to write that Ang made a “fearless forecast” that Pacquiao would be the country’s next president, which the same columnist has since corrected in a succeeding article.

“Right now, it’s still a wide open race. (Presidential spokesperson) Harry Roque said that in the event Davao Mayor Sara Duterte and Senator Bong Go do not run in 2022, President Duterte will choose among Mayor Isko Moreno, former senator Bongbong Marcos, and Senator Manny Pacquiao,” Ang said.

“I believe that the President’s endorsement is still the key factor to victory, given his outstanding trust rating. As such, the situation can change dramatically, depending on Mayor Sara Duterte and Senator Bong Go’s decision, coupled with the strength of President Duterte’s endorsement,” he further emphasized.

In the latest presidential survey conducted by OCTA Research, the Davao mayor topped the poll, with 22 percent of respondents selecting her as the country’s next president. The presidential daughter, however, has publicly stated that she will not seek the presidency in 2022.

On the other hand, Go has indicated that he will only consider running for president if the country’s current Chief Executive agrees to be his running mate next year.

According to the latest Pulse Asia survey, a Go-Duterte tandem would be the team to beat, earning the highest respondent preference at 32 percent.