Pacquiao leads PDP-Laban

Senator Emmanuel ‘’Manny’’ D. Pacquiao formally accepted Wednesday night the invitation for him to lead the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Laban ng Bayan (PDP-Laban).

The boxing icon declared his commitment that he would harness the administration’s party’s immense power and influence to fight corruption that he blames as root cause of poverty in the country.

Speaking before PDP-Laban members through a “hybrid” fellowship night at the Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar, Pacquiao promised to further strengthen the administration party while upholding PDP-Laban’s five guiding principles which are theism, authentic humanism, enlightened nationalism, democratic socialism and consultative participatory democracy.

Pacquiao replaced former Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III as PDP-Laban president. Pimentel is now the vice chairman of PDP-Laban replacing Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi.

Also appointed to a new leadership position in the PDP Lab an is House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco who was designated as the new Executive Vice-President replacing Pampanga Rep. Aurelio “Dong” Gonzales.

“We are not beholden to big businesses, foreign entities, nor vested interests, but only to the Filipino people. We are here to fight for the poor, the jobless, the homeless, the voiceless and the hopeless. This is what the PDPLaban under Manny Pacquiao will stand for,” Pacquiao told the PDP-Laban members.

To do this, Pacquiao said that PDP-Laban must heed President Duterte’s call for a more aggressive stance against corruption which he describes as “a cancer that has tormented our government for generations.” He said that members must lead by example by shunning all forms of corruption.