GENERAL SANTOS, Philippines — Thousands of individuals—Christians, Muslims and indigenous peoples—from different parts of Mindanao gathered in General Santos City’s Oval Plaza on Tuesday to witness the formal launch of Sen. Manny Pacquiao’s presidential campaign.
The presidential hopeful said he decided to hold a campaign kickoff in his hometown because "this is the place where my dreams started."
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Speaking mostly in Bisaya, Pacquiao told the crowd of an estimated 25,000 people how difficult it was growing up poor, and how corruption exacerbates poverty and slows economic development in the country.
"Sisiguraduhin ko ang bawat Pilipino ay may trabaho at hinahanap ng trabaho. Sisiguraduhin ko sa inyo na walang mahirap na inaagrabyado at inaapi," Pacquiao said.
(I will make sure that every Filipino has a job and that jobs will look for them. I will ensure that the poor are not aggrieved and oppressed.)
"Sisiguraduhin ko sa inyo na ang batas ng Pilipinas ay pantay-pantay at walang mahirap, walang mayaman. Sisiguraduhin ko sa inyo na walang pamilya na walang sariling tahanan dahil ‘yan po ay ginagawa ko pa mula noon hanggang ngayon."
(I will ensure every person will be equal before the law. I will make sure that every family will have a home because I've been doing that ever since.)
Marlyn Sugitan, a resident of Barangay City Heights in General Santos City, hopes Pacquiao will be the second chief executive from Mindanao, after President Rodrigo Duterte, whom the retired boxer hopes to succeed.
"Si Manny Pacquiao ay pambihirang tao… Maabilidad, marunong tumulong, may puso, makatao at maka-Diyos," she said, adding she knows what the boxing champion-turned-politician has done in his hometown.
(Manny Pacquiao is a remarkable person… He’s skillful, knows how to help, he has a heart, humane, and religious.)
‘Competitive, but no frontrunner’
Pacquiao is banking on the support of voters in the Visayas and Mindanao.
"Alam ko naman ang mga Bisaya sumusuporta sa kapwa Bisaya. Sino ba naman magtutulungan kundi kami rin?" he said.
(I know that the Bisaya will support a fellow Bisaya. Who else is supposed to help us?)
Political analyst Tony La Viña said the presidential bid of Pacquiao could be "viable" if he captures the majority of votes in the Visayas and Mindanao.
Ateneo School of Government senior research fellow Michael Yusingco, for his part, said that Pacquiao "will be competitive, but not enough to be the clear frontrunner" in the central and southern Philippines.
Presidential aspirant Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. also has a power base in the Eastern Visayas through the Romualdezes of Leyte, while his running mate Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio also has a strong following in Mindanao.
"And more crucially, I think now until April, he could still lose some votes because he is not performing well in interviews and forums. I anticipate that he will not also do well in the Comelec debates," Yusingco said.
"His motivation for running is clearly sincere and genuine, but it is very obvious that his competence is limited," he added.
Pacquiao has had a reputation of not attending legislative sessions while a member of the House and, later, the Senate.
Unfazed by rankings
Despite his popularity, Pacquiao and Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” tied at the third spot in a poll released by Pulse Asia in December, with just eight percent of voter support.
Marcos Jr. topped the survey, with 53% of respondents picking him as their president if elections were held during the survey period.
"Her endorsement will still have much weight on how her supporters will have to vote," sociologist Athena "Ash" Presto said of Duterte-Carpio, who has also been leading in pre-election surveys.
But Pacquiao, whose pronounced accent as well as performance on the plenary floor has at times made him the butt of jokes, is unperturbed by his standing in opinion polls. So what’s his plan?
"We will penetrate the ground," he said, referring to voters in the lower-income D and E segments of society.
Disclosure: This story was made possible through the support of Sen. Manny Pacquiao's campaign, which arranged transportation and accommodations for the Philstar.com reporting team. This article was produced following editorial guidelines and the Pacquiao campaign did not have input on how the story would be written.