Prominent Philippine boxer Manny Pacquiao has announced today that he will run for president in next year's election, a decision that ends months of speculation over whether he will run for the top post in the Philippines.
In his acceptance speech for the presidency through a rival faction within the ruling party of President Rodrigo Duterte, Pacquiao said the time had come to take part in the leadership race.
Pacquiao, who joined politics in 2010 after being elected MP and later senator, has long been expected to announce his intention to run for president in the Philippines.
His record in boxing as well as his anti-poverty and anti-corruption agenda are expected to be a key element in his campaign in the 2022 elections.
