Pacquiao highlights advocacy for OFWs in Cambridge Union speech

“As a legislator, I am waging war against modern-day slavery, supporting the cause of my fellow athletes, pushing for better healthcare services, and building more resilient communities.”

The statement was part of the speech that Sen. Manny Pacquiao deliverred on Tuesday afternoon (early Wednesday PH time)  before officials of Cambridge University and members of the Cambridge Union in England.

A day earlier, the boxer-legislator also spoke before the Oxford Union at Oxford University.

In Cambridge, Pacquiao he stressed his concern for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), saying: “I have authored bills for their additional protection and to offer genuine economic opportunities for their reintegration in Philippine society.”

In 2016, Pacquiao filed Senate Bill No. 192 — “An act mandating the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration to publish, disseminate and update the handbook on rights and responsibilities of migrant workers.”

He said the bill had been now approved on third and final reading.

With this, the senator said he was wishing that the OFWs “would no longer have to be exposed to abuses just to earn money for their families back home.”

Apart from his advocacy on OFWs, he also gave words of advice to “never quit,” saying this was what he learned from being “born into poverty.”

“From a very young age, I had to struggle daily to survive. I fought hard. I faltered. I failed. Many times. But I learned to rise again each time I fell. Each setback became a platform for a comeback.” he said. “If the world knocks you down, get up. If all things conspire against you, fight back. Quitting is not an option.”

Pacquiao then, said his stint as an international boxer helped him improve and become the best version of himself.

“As an athlete, I become agitated when I do not improve in terms of speed, style, and stamina. I keep pushing myself beyond my limits,” he said. “That way, I remain relevant to my people and the world who deserve the best of Manny Pacquiao, inside and outside the ring.” /atm

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