1-Pacman’s 2nd nominee Bobby Pacquiao puts public service first

Rep. Mikee Romero (left) gestures 22 with Bobby Pacquiao, General Santos City councilor who is 1-Pacman second nominee; GenSan Mayor Lorelei Pacquiao; and Milka Romero, 1-Pacman first nominee. —Contributed photo

MANILA, Philippines —Bobby Pacquiao may not have a fight record as sterling as his older brother Manny’s, but he has as big a heart for public service now that the fighting brothers have hung up their gloves.

“Service to the country is what’s important to us,” Bobby said in Filipino.

Bobby, who like his brother Manny took up politics when his fighting days were over, is the second nominee of the 1-Pacman Party List. He is bidding to return to the House of Representatives, while Manny seeks to return to the Senate in the 2025 mid-term elections.

Bobby and his wife Lorelie, the mayor of General Santos City, were at the 1-Pacman headquarters in Makati to meet with Rep. Mikee Romero, the three-term 1-Pacman congressman and chairman of the House Committee on Poverty Alleviation, and his daughter Milka Romero, who is seeking to succeed him as the party’s first nominee.

The former boxer accompanied Mayor Lorelie to Manila to receive the Department of the Interior and Local Government’s Seal of Good Local Governance for General Santos City.

Advocating sports development

Mayor Pacquiao said it was not only fitting but also very timely for the 1-Pacman party list to advocate sports development for the youth.

“Sport gave the name Pacquiao a big opportunity to be known by the whole world. In turn, the Pacquiaos now will return the service to the people,” the mayor said.

Lorelie served as barangay chair for 11 years before running for mayor in 2022. Bobby, a House representative for the OFW Family Club party list from 2019 to 2022, is now a city councilor as an ex-officio council member for the Liga ng mga Barangay.

Pacquiao brothers returning as lawmakers

Bobby Pacquiao : 1-Pacman advocacy for sports and youth an excellent fit for the times. —Contributed photo

Bobby’s bid to return to the House, this time as the 1-Pacman nominee, coincides with his brother Manny’s attempt to return to the Senate and restart a political career set back by his unsuccessful run for the presidency in 2022.

With the Pacquiao brothers on board the 1-Pacman bandwagon, Rep. Mikee Romero expressed confidence that the party list would send all three nominees to the House. The third nominee is Shey Sakaluran Muhammad.

Boxing pulled the Pacquiao family from the depths of poverty. The more illustrious Manny rose to the top of the boxing world, winning titles in eight weight divisions in a career that will culminate in his induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2025.

Bobby’s 49-fight career included winning the World Boxing Organization super-featherweight Asia Pacific and the World Boxing Council Continental Americas titles. He retired in 2009.

The Pacquiao brothers’ forays into politics have been just as distinguished. Manny served as a representative and senator for a total of 12 years, while Bobby was a councilor in General Santos from 2016 to 2019 when he was elected to the House representing the OFW Family Club party list.

He served as barangay chairman in Labangal and was chosen president of the Liga ng mga barangay, which earned him an ex-officio position in the city council.

Expanded public service

Mayor Lorelie expanded the Pacquiao public service by serving as barangay chair for 11 years before being elected mayor in 2022. She said the DILG’s award of the Seal of Gold Local Governance to General Santos speaks well of the kind of public service the Pacquiaos have rendered to the people.

Mayor Pacquiao said that while they have been gifted with boxing honors achieved by Manny Pacquiao, as well as with her own husband’s boxing records, the family works doubly hard to serve the people who have given them great support in sports.

Her husband Bobby said the Pacquiao family’s brand of public service is about giving something back to the people, adding,  “We know what it’s like to be poor.”

“It’s my family that gave me strengthened my will to fight. The people back home know the hardships we went through in life. Our lives improved. Now we’re bringing service to our countrymen so that their lives will improve,” Bobby said.

He added that the 1-Pacman Party List would champion legislation tp help more young people and athletes attain their dreams in sports.