PAMPANGA, Philippines – Will the popularity of Sarangani Representative Manny Pacquiao be enough to convince more voters to pick Vice President Jejomar Binay?
The boxing superstar-turned-politician appears in a new television advertisement for Binay just a little over a week before the elections.
The video was posted on Binay's official Facebook page on Sunday, May 1.
"Pano ka tutulong sa mahihirap kung hindi mo alam ang damdamin nila?" asks Pacquiao in the ad.
(How will you help the poor when you don't understand how they feel?)
Behind him is a crowd of people wearing the blue campaign shirts of the Binay camp.
"Ang presidente ko, tulad kong galing din sa hirap. Kaya sigurado ako alam niya kung paano iaangat sa ginhawa ang mga naghihirap," says Pacquiao.
(My president is just like me who grew up in poverty. That's why I'm sure he knows how to uplift the lives of the poor.)
Pacquiao then flashes the sign of the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) as he exclaims, "Kaya ang presidente ko, only Binay!" (That's why my president is only Binay!)
The advertisement echoes Pacquiao's pitch for the Vice President during sorties, where he would tell crowds that Binay is the only presidential candidate capable of addressing poverty.
Pacquiao is running for senator under UNA, the only candidate from the party who has consistently appeared in the Magic 12.
After his victory against boxer Timothy Bradley Jr on April 9, Pacquiao even surged to the top 5 in the latest Social Weather Stations survey.
Pacquiao said his presence in sorties during the campaign homestretch would entice more people to hear the platform of Binay and UNA.
He decided to stick with the Vice President despite receiving an offer from the Liberal Party.
Pacquiao is also friends with his fellow Mindanaoan and current survey front runner Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte.– Rappler.com