Manny Pacquiao, wife Jinkee claim wealth is not stolen
Manny Pacquiao and wife Jinkee | Image: Instagram/@jinkeepacquiao
Manny Pacquiao dismissed criticism over his and his wife Jinkee’s fortune, insisting their wealth comes from years of hard work, not corruption.
Pacquiao said they are unaffected by the bashing whenever he and Jinkee post about their lifestyle.
“Hindi naman siya naaapektuhan nu’n dahil unang-una, hindi naman namin ninakaw ‘yung pera, pinaghirapan naman namin ‘yun (It doesn’t affect her because first of all, we didn’t steal the money [to buy those luxury items], we worked hard for it),” he told reporters during the recent Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas’ senatorial press conference.
Pacquiao is seeking reelection in the 2025 mid-term elections under the administration banner, Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas. Meanwhile, Jinkee is eyeing a seat at the House of Representative as second nominee of the MPBL (Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League) party-list, which is founded by her husband in 2017 for athletes, but now counts itself as a marginalized sector.
The couple’s son, Michael, filed his candidacy for councilor in General Santos City.
The retired boxing icon underscored that people should be inspired by their story instead of putting malice on it.
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“Proud kami na sa paghihirap namin, dugo at pawis ang puhunan, nakabili kami ng ganu’n. And maging inspirasyon sana sa mga tao na kailangan nilang magsikap para matupad ‘yung mga pangarap sa buhay,” he said.
(We are proud that with our hard work, blood and sweat was the investment of our wealth, we were able to buy things like that. And it should serve as an inspiration to people who need to work hard to fulfill their dreams in life.)
Pacquiao, who retired from professional boxing in 2021, ran for president in 2022 but lost to incumbent Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. As a senator prior to his presidential bid, he was one of the two billionaires in the Senate, alongside Senator Cynthia Villar, owing to his lucrative boxing and showbiz careers, and other businesses.
However, as Sarangani congressman, he was recorded as topnotcher with most absences while congress was in session.
The 46-year-old boxing legend is also set to represent the Philippines in the survival competition show “Physical: Asia,” a spinoff of the hit Korean reality series “Physical: 100,” which will be released this year.
Pacquiao, dubbed as the “Pambansang Kamao” (national fist), is the only boxer who brought home an eight-division world champion and was the oldest welterweight world champion at 40 years old.
