Manny Pacquiao‘s presidential bid is over… The boxing legend officially conceded to his opponent. Ferdinand Marcos JrHe made the announcement in an official statement on Tuesday.
“I know how to accept defeat,” Pacquiao said. “But I hope that even though I lost this race, my countrymen, especially the poor, still win in this scenario.”
Rappler, a Philippine news website, the boxer-turned-politician was losing the election by a sizeable margin … with the outlet reporting that Pacquiao had over 3.6 million votes, while Marcos Jr. had more than 31 million votes.
Pacquiao, 43 years old, announced that he was praying for success in the new administration… and that he hopes the lives of people who are poor will improve.
After accepting the nomination of PDP-Laban, the 62-8-2 fighter announced his candidacy to be the next President in September 2021.
Pacquiao spent some time in the Senate and centered his presidential campaign around fighting poverty and corruption — which he believed was an all-pervasive problem in the government.
Pacquiao warned residents of the Philippines that they could be subject to a terrorist attack in March. Martial LawAccording to Rappler, Marcos could be elected president.
The election is over, with his Senate run ending in June. He will now resume his normal life. He said that he will continue fighting for poor communities through his foundation.