Manny Pacquiao casts vote in Kiamba, Sarangani

Presidential candidate and incumbent senator Manny Pacquiao on Monday cast his vote just before noon for the 2022 national and local elections.

Pacquiao voted at the Kiamba Central School SPED Center in Kiamba, Sarangani.

Pacquiao is running under the Probinsya Muna Development Initiative or PROMDI, but the Pimentel faction of the PDP-Laban also nominated him to be its presidential candidate. 

"Naniniwala ako na mas maraming mahihirap na tao kaysa sa mayaman," Pacquiao said when asked by reporters regarding his confidence in winning the race.

(I believe that there are more poor people than rich.)

"'Yan ang tinitiyak natin sa kanila na ang majority ng mahihirap ay nagkakaisa para ipakita sa mga mayayaman na mas marami yung naghihirap dito sa ating bansa," he added.

(That is what we assure them, that the majority of the poor are united to show the rich that more people struggle in our country.)

Pacquiao also said surveys do not show the real numbers of the poor.

"Kumpiyansa tayo dahil unang una katulad ng sinabi ko sa mahihirap, 'wag kayo mag alala, 'wag kayo mabahala kasi itong ABC class maiingay sa social media at 'yung survey lagi silang nangunguna. Pero 2,400 lang 'yung katao na tinanong nila tapos sabihin na sila ang nangunguna, samantalang napakaraming mahihirap na hindi natanong."

(We are confident because first of all, like what I tell the poor that they should not worry at all just because the ABC class are noisy on social media and since their candidates are on top. But only 2,400 people were asked in the surveys then they will say they are frontrunners, while so many poor people have not been asked.)

The boxing legend said survey could lead to "mind conditioning."

"So kung titingnan mo, mind conditioning 'yan, kumbaga kung mahina ang loob mo, madi-discourage ka pero sabi ko sa mahihirap, 'wag kayo madiscourage kasi marami tayo," he said.

(If you will see, that is mind conditioning. If you are weak-hearted, you will get discouraged. But as I told the poor, they should not be discouraged because we are many.)

Pacquiao said joined the people in queue to wait for his turn to vote.

"Pumila din tayo, kailangan pumila tayo, 'wag tayong gumamit ng ano natin. Kumbaga lahat tayo pantay-pantay naman pagdating dito sa eleksyon," he said.

(We also fell in line. We need to fall in line, let us not use our [privileges]. All of us are equal when it comes to elections.)

Amid reports of malfunctioning vote counting machines (VCMs) and the disorder reported in some parts of Mindanao, Pacquiao said he trusts the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and the authorities to be on top of the situation.

"Tiwala naman tayo sa Comelec at sa kapulisan, 'yung kasandaluhan na magbantay at panatilihin na malinis at mapayapang eleksyon sa ating bansa," he said.

(We trust the Comelec, the Philippine National Police personnel, and our soldiers to guard and maintain clean and peaceful elections in our country.)—Jamil Santos/KG, GMA News