Pacquiao to file COC for congressman Tuesday

Reigning pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquaio revealed Sunday that he will be filing his certificate of candidacy (COC) for congressman in the Sarangani province on the last day - December 1. In an interview with reporters, Pacquiao said that he chose to file his COC on December 1 because it is nearer to his birthday, implying that it might bring his candidacy some good luck. The boxer’s birthday will fall on December 17, when he will turn 31.

He said his local party People's Champ Movement already has a complete slate, including governor and vice governor. “Kumpleto na, kumpleto na ang lineup ko (It’s complete, my lineup is complete)," he said. Even though there have been talks that he will be forging a partnership with Senator Manuel Villar’s Nacionalista Party, he said they have yet to reach a final decision on the matter. “Wala pa, matagal pa, hindi pa naman (We have no final plans yet, there’s still time left)," he said. In 2007, Pacquiao ran for congressman in South Cotabato but lost to incumbent representative Darlene Antonino-Custodio. Pacquiao was at the Commission on Elections (Comelec) main office on Sunday to submit the manifestation of the intention to run in the 2010 elections of the party-list group Puwersa ng Bayaning Atleta (PBA), of which he is national chairman. “Sana suportahan ninyo ang bagong PBA, ito ang tutututok sa ating mga kababayang mga atleta, kailangan nating magtulungan para maiwagayway ang ating bandila saan mang sulok ng mundo (I hope you support the PBA because this group will focus on our athletes. We really need to help each other in bringing glory to the country), he said. Former Philippine Basketball Association player Chris Bolado and former Caloocan City Mayor Rey Malonzo accompanied Pacquiao during the filing of PBA's manifestation. The PBA party-list group had previously run in the 2007 elections but failed to garner enough votes to get them a congressional seat. But Bolado told reporters that they are more prepared this time around, especially now that they have Pacquiao’s support. - LBG, GMANews.TV