“I know the pain of hunger way too well. Hindi lang sa tiyan. Pati sa puso.”
This according to Senator Manny Pacquiao who went to his home province of Sarangani over the weekend to distribute help to his kababayans.
Speaking before residents of the municipality of Malapatan, Pacquaio reminisced about the extreme hardship that his family experienced, suffered and endured just to be able to survive hunger and poverty.
“Minsan namumulot ng mga hasang (fish gills) sa palengke pang-pananghalian, minsan pinagpipilian ang mga panis (expired) na tinapay sa bakery pang-hapunan, minsan wala talagang makain na kahit na luma o bulok,” shared Pacquiao.
“The sight of her crying mother telling him and his siblings to just drink water first to alleviate hunger because they have no food and no money is what broke his heart into pieces.”
While experiencing physical pain in the stomach, he shared that the sight of her crying mother telling him and his siblings to just drink water first to alleviate hunger because they have no food and no money is what broke his heart into pieces.
“Napakasakit. Naawa ako sa mga kapatid ko na walang makain. Naawa ako sa nanay ko na walang magawa.”
“Napakasakit. Naawa ako sa mga kapatid ko na walang makain. Naawa ako sa nanay ko na walang magawa. Nangako ako sa sarili ko noon, na kung palarin ako na makaahon sa kahirapan, gagawin ko ang lahat para makatulong sa kapwa. Dapat wala nang pamilyang Pilipino na makakadanas ng labis na paghihirap,” recalled the boxer-turned-politician.
Using his personal money, Pacquiao distributed grocery packs and P1000 cash to Malapatan residents.
Before this trip to Sarangani, he came from the provinces of Sulu and Tawi-tawi and in the City of Zamboanga to likewise distribute aid to poor residents through his #MuntingPagtulong Project.
Pacquiao stressed that, “if only rich politicians would all pitch in and share their personal wealth to the poor, not a single Filipino would go hungry and no one would ever have to feed on scraps just like I did before I became a boxing champion.”
Sana wala nang nakawan, kurakotan. Sana mamigay na lang ng tulong, hanggang kaya.”
“Sana wala nang nakawan, kurakotan. Sana mamigay na lang ng tulong, hanggang kaya. Share your blessings. Help the poor,” Pacquaio concluded.