Manny Pacquiao Wins Senate Seat In Philippines

Manny Pacquiao appears to have officially won a Senate seat in the Philippines, all but paving his way to a future presidential run.

The 37-year-old boxer has garnered at least 15.2 million votes with 93 percent of votes accounted for from Monday’s election. That would place Pacquiao eighth out of a field of 50 candidates in the national race, in which the top 12 win a seat in the “Upper House,” the Philippines’ version of the Senate.

Pacquiao will now be one of just 24 senators, and will serve a six-year term. He was previously a congressman, having been elected in 2010 and re-elected in 2013.

Pacquiao was a high-school dropout who has become a national icon in the Philippines thanks to his prowess in the ring. He won world titles in an unprecedented eight weight classes, but claims he has retired after a dominant win over Timothy Bradley in early April.

While Pacquiao has made controversial statements regarding homosexuals over the years, that doesn’t seem to have dimmed his popularity in his native country. Regardless of how you feel about him personally, it is pretty amazing that a guy who left his home at 14 and lived on the streets of Manila for a time before discovering boxing, is now a senator.