Philippine boxer Manny Pacquiao to run for senate

MANILA, Philippines — Sarangani Rep. Emmanuel "Manny" Pacquiao on Monday confirmed he is running for senator in the 2016 elections, radio reports said on Monday.

Reports said Pacquiao did not mention whether he is running as an independent candidate or under a party's banner. The boxing champion made the confirmation during a chance interview with reporters in his state of the district address

 Mr Pacquiao, 36, is currently a member of the country's lower house of representatives, the congress.He said on Monday evening that he would run for higher office in May next year, after his congress term ends.

“In the coming days, I will be embracing new levels of responsibility. I will be confronting tough challenges,” he told his constituents in Sarangani during his State of the District Address.“My second term as your congressmen will soon be over, but I will continue to be of service you and to our fellow Filipinos,” he added in his delivered speech.

The boxing champion is hugely popular at home. Earlier this year he lost to American Floyd Mayweather in one of the biggest fights in the sport.Mr Pacquiao made the announcement while addressing constituents in his home province of Sarangani in the south. He did not say which party he planned to join to run for the senate.

The athlete has pushed for several bills in congress, promoting social welfare and sport, but has also been criticised for having missed many congress meetings during his two terms.

Pacquiao is a favorite to land in the magic 12 of senatorial aspirants based on surveys that have been made locally. But the focus now turns on which political party he would be joining as advisers try to convince him to break his alliance with presidential candidate and current vice president Jejomar Binay.

Social media shared mixed reactions on the intent of Pacquiao, mostly questioning his attendance.

The candidacy of Pacquiao for senator is HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAH!

— Jesus Andrew Balmas (@charcoalmethod) October 6, 2015

Currently a congressman, Pacquiao has been hardly visible during assemblies and many expect the trend to continue should he win as senator.

Pacquiao wants to run for Senate. He couldnt even work on his attendance in Congress. — MLAntoinette (@MLAntoinette) October 5, 2015

The more also poses a big question on his boxing career. Since being a senator could eat up his time.

Outside the political scene, Pacquiao is reportedly set to return to the ring in 2016 against a yet-to-be-determined opponent.There were two names at the top of the list, Amir Khan and Lucas Matthysse. The Argentine brawler Matthysse is deemed out of the running after losing to Ukrainian Viktor Postol last weekend via a stunning KO in the 10th round. With Khan likely to be the opponent for his return bout, further questions arise on how Pacquiao can campaign and train next year.Earlier word from Pacquiao’s camps suggested that the PacMan will likely take the ring once more before April, 2016.

With the elections to be held the month after (May, 2016), many are wondering how Pacquiao can focus on his return bout and campaign at the same time.

Apparently such would be living proof that Pacquiao will have commitment issues should he win a senate seat, something that is evident in his current position as congressman. Looking further ahead, this move could also be seen as a move of Pacquiao’s eventual exit from boxing.

Such was already widely talked about before with Bob Arum hinting that Pacquiao could be nearing retirement as he focuses on his political career which may go as far as running for his country’s presidency.