People’s champ Manny Pacquiao supports significant wage hike, welcomed by workers

People’s champ and Sarangani Representative Manny Pacquiao announced his support for the workers’ fight for a significant wage hike today in a press conference at the national office of Kilusang Mayo Uno in Quezon City.

Congressman Pacquiao expressed his support for the workers’ call for the long-overdue significant wage hike and narrated his personal struggles as an ordinary worker before he became a world-renowned boxing champion.

“Alam po ninyo, bago ako nakarating sa kinalalagyan ko ngayon, ako rin po ay naging ordinaryong manggagawa. Ako po ay nagtitinda, naging utility boy at marami pa pong ibang pinasok na trabaho na kakarampot lang ang sweldo para mabuhay ang aking pamilya. Alam niyo po, nakapagtrabaho ako sa konstruksyon, naging vendor ako, nagtitinda ako ng sampagita, kung anu-anong trabaho ang pinasok ko para lang may makain,” said Manny Pacquiao.

“Ngayon ang aking suporta ay maasahan ninyo. Hindi po naging madali ang aking buhay at nais kong ipaabot sa ating mga manggagawa na naiintindihan ko ang inyong pinaglalaban,” added Pacquiao.

He also invited everyone to join the “National Day of Workers’ Condemnation Against the Meager COLA” on June 16.

He demonstrated his one great punch against poverty—which he said he wanted to end, by co-authoring the House Bill 375 seeking for a nationwide P125 across-the-board wage hike.

Workers led by Kilusang Mayo Uno and Anakpawis Partylist gratefully welcomed this as a significant addition to the workers’ struggle for a significant wage hike.

“The Filipino workers and people are glad that workers’ and people’s champ Rep. Manny Pacquiao is on our side and is “ready to rumble” for a significant wage hike. He is a most welcome addition to our ranks in our struggle for an immediate relief amidst the soaring prices of basic goods and services, especially petroleum products,” said Elmer ‘Bong” Labog, KMU chairperson.

“Rep. Pacquiao's support for HB 375 will be a big boost to the workers' national fight and campaign for a substantial wage increase. We need more legislators to support important measures that will directly benefit majority of the Filipinos,” said Rafael Mariano, Anakpawis Partylist representative and principal author of HB 375.

KMU hoped that this would be the start of an enduring partnership in ‘ knocking out” poverty and improving the lot of the Filipino workers and people.