SENATOR Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao on Sunday accepted the nomination of a faction of the ruling party’s Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) to run for president in next year’s polls.

“I am a fighter, and I will always be a fighter inside and outside the ring,” Pacquiao said after the faction of PDP-Laban led by him and Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III held the party’s national assembly late Sunday afternoon.

The other faction of the PDP-Laban is led by Energy Sec. Alfonso Cusi, which nominated Sen. Bong Go and President Rodrigo Duterte as presidential and vice presidential candidates, respectively.

Go politely declined the nomination while Duterte accepted the challenge.

Pacquiao was the second declared presidential candidate after Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson. Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III is Lacson’s vice presidential bet.

“Sa ngalan ng mga kababayan natin na matagal nang naghahangad ng tamang pagbabago sa ating pamahalaan, tapat na panunungkulan at serbisyo sa mamamayang Pilipino, buong puso ko po, buong tapang at kababaang-loob ay umaasa po ako sa inyong suporta,” Pacquiao said.

“Sa mga nanunungkulan sa ating pamahalaan na patuloy na nagsasamantala at nagnanakaw sa kaban ng bayan, malapit na kayong magsama-sama sa kulungan,” Pacquiao warned. “Your time is up.”

While the Cusi PDP-Laban faction asked the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to declare Pacquiao and his allies as fake officers of the group, Pimentel said Pacquiao is the genuine presidential candidate of the highly divided party.

“Kahit ano man ang mangyari, itong ating ipo-proclaim ngayong araw (Sunday) ay kandidato na ng PDP-Laban sa pagka-pangulo ng ating bansa,” Pimentel said. “Uulitin ko, kahit ano man ang mangyari.”

“Exciting ito dahil malaki ang posibilidad na mananalo tayo sa darating na halalan at ang tunay na PDP-Laban ang magpapatakbo ng ating gobyerno,” Pimentel said.

Deputy Speaker and Buhay Hayaang Yumabong (Buhay) party-list Rep. Lito Atienza welcomed the nomination and acceptance of Pacquiao to be the official presidential candidate of an alliance of political groups led by PDP-Laban.

“Manny is the right man to lead the nation after this administration. We describe the man in four words: maka-Diyos, makatao, makabayan, makakalikasan,” Atienza said.

“We are in full support of his dream and wisdom of a prosperous life for every Filipino,” Atienza added.

Last September 7, the PDP Laban led by its President Alfonso Cusi, filed a petition before the Comelec asking the poll body to declare the group led by Senators Manny Pacquiao and Aquilino Pimentel as illegitimate.

Pacquiao’s group had claimed to have ousted Cusi, Matibag and even President Duterte from their respective positions in the ruling party. The PDP Laban petition accused Pacquio’s group of “usurping party authority and pretending to be representatives of our party.”

Meanwhile, Cusi rallied his party mates and the public to support President Rodrigo Duterte amid mounting efforts by critics to discredit the Chief Executive.

“I will vote for Rodrigo Duterte for Vice President in 2022 because of his proven and effective leadership,” Cusi said.

He explained that President Duterte remained committed in his vision to weed out corruption in our country and demonstrated his willingness to take an unpopular stand in favor of what is good and beneficial for the majority of our people.

“His leadership of a suffering nation in the time of a pandemic has ensured that despite finite resources, we were able to receive the aid needed by way of providing relief goods and vaccinations, as well as providing accessible health care services,” Cusi said.

Likewise, he stated that President Duterte’s foreign policy has ushered in a new era that emboldened a small nation such as ours to push back against unequal terms, such as the Visiting Forces Agreement and Canada and their garbage, while still taking utmost care to maintain traditional relationships.

Cusi said President Duterte is a “responsible world leader who won’t shirk his commitment to the brotherhood of nations,” as shown by his willingness to open our doors to Afghan refugees.

“It is for the above reasons that I will vote for Rodrigo Duterte for Vice President in 2022, to ensure the continuation of his courageous leadership and good governance,” Cusi concluded.