By JULMUNIR I. JANNARAL

CLOSE TO THE HEART: Senator Emmanuel "Manny" Pacquiao and Shariff Ibrahim Albani, the vice president for Visayas of the Labor Party of the Philippines (LPP) hold a gesture of having green ribbon in everyone's heart that connotes hope, prosperity, and decency. (Contributed Photo)

MAKATI CITY, Metro Manila -- A Labor Party of the Philippines (LPP) official on Wednesday told Philippine Muslim Today in an exclusive interview that the political  victory of Senator Emmanuel "Manny" Pacquiao in the 2022 presidential election running as independent candidate is ill-advised and bound to defeat.

Shariff Ibrahim Albani, a member of the LPP national executive officers and vice president for Visayas told this Managing Editor in his reaction to the statement of PDP-Laban Pacquiao wing Executive Director Ronwald Munsayac
that Pacquiao can still run as independent presidential candidate if the Commission on Elections (Comelec) will accept in favor of the PDP-Laban Alfonso Cusi wing.

The LPP has publicly announced last week of their invitation to make Pacquiao as their standard-bearer in the 2022 presidential elections. In fact the eldest son of Pacquiao is already one of the national officers of the LPP. He is Emmanuel Pacquiao, Jr., also known as (a.k.a.) Jimuel who chairs the Committee on Youth Affairs.

Albani bluntly told Munsayac that to let Pacquiao run as an independent presidential candidate is not only ill-advised but also misplaced.

According to the LPP vice president for Visayas, as he further told Munsayac that in the history of presidential candidates no one was successful. Why? Apart from what you already mentioned politics is highly partisan and patriarchal. That is the culture. Senator Manny Pacquiao should not run as an independent. The pressure of lining up candidates down to councilors level is a massive organizational  and logistical nightmare."

He further said popularity alone will not make Senator Manny Pacquiao win. He needs a party that will move in unison. Candidates on their own could profit from his popularity bandwagon.

Albani also said "let us get this idea out  from Pacquiao mind frame. This will spell disaster for us. Or the people will be your enemy. Right now, I believe that idea in advising him to run for independent is a political suicidal and more of a liability than an asset to our country cause with Manny Pacquiao.

Albani who hails from Mindanao  also idolized Pacquiao as a boxing legend. He said the global Filipino icon is still steadfast, strong, driven to get our politics and governance moored in core values unflinched by the unpatriotic to the motherland.

He asked everyone to welcome Pacquiao with a "green ribbon" in their hearts. He said this symbolizes hope, prosperity, and decency.

Albani emphasized that Pacquiao for over 25 years, he made us proud, without a doubt even among his detractors, fair enough.

As this developed. the LPP according to Albani in two or three days Pacquiao and the LPP will hold a zoom meeting where the Senator will formally announce if he is indeed the LPP standard-bearer and therefore this will clear all speculations. (PMT NCR Plus Bureau)

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