UPDATED 12:46 AM JULY 4, 2021SEN. Emmanuel 'Manny' Pacquiao linked more government agencies to corruption.In a virtual press briefing on Saturday, Pacquiao said in addition to the Department of Health (DoH), which he named previously, the others are the Departments of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and Energy (DoE).Pacquiao made the announcement as he left for the US on Saturday night for his 'serious' training and preparation for his boxing match against undefeated WBC and IBF welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. in Las Vegas on August 21.Without giving details, the senator said he would submit all documentary evidence he has gathered from different sources to President Rodrigo Duterte and the Senate blue ribbon committee.Pacquiao was also quick to exonerate the President, saying that he believes Duterte is unaware of the corruption in his administration.He also mentioned that he was assured by some unidentified sources that they were willing to personally testify in any investigation to be conducted by the blue ribbon panel and possibly the executive department.In mentioning the DWSD, the senator said the President was not aware that P50 billion was allotted by the agency to Star Pay Apps, a little known e-wallet company with a meager paid-up capital of P60,000, to distribute relief assistance to some 1.8 million beneficiaries. Of the total, only 500,000 have received it.Pacquiao said based on the documents submitted to him, the DoH was engaged in purchasing medicines that are almost expired because these can be bought at much lower prices compared to newly manufactured products to the detriment of patients.He added that in due time, he will also reveal the other 'irregular' practices at the DoH.Pacquiao also cited 'anomalous' transactions at the DoE and DENR although he did not elaborate.The senator vowed that more agencies will be named as the Senate inquiry progresses.No attack on DutertePacquiao reiterated that he was not attacking Duterte and that he supported the President's advocacy against corruption.'I want to see these corrupt officials behind bars. It's heartbreaking and it makes me weep whenever I discover different types of corruption in our government agencies. Maybe our President is not aware of all of these,' he said in a previous statement.Pacquiao had claimed that the incumbent administration was more corrupt than its predecessor, referring to the late president Benigno 'Noynoy' Aquino 3rd, in a television interview on June 22.A week later, Duterte challenged Pacquiao to name these corrupt government offices and officials and warned that if he failed to provide proof, he would campaign against the senator in the 2022 elections should he run for president.Both Duterte and Pacquiao are under the ruling Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban). The Chief Executive is chairman emeritus while the boxing icon-turned-politician is the party's acting president.Relations between Pacquiao and other officers of the PDP-Laban turned sour when he urged partymates to boycott two general assemblies that were meant to push the candidacies of Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, the Chief Executive's daughter, for president and the incumbent leader for vice president in 2022.Incidentally, one of the organizers of the assemblies was the party vice chairman and Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi whose department is in Pacquiao's 'corrupt' list.PDP-Laban presidentPacquiao clarified that he was not PDP-Laban's president in acting capacity, saying that the position was passed to him legally by the officers and members of the party.He again warned partymates to abide by the PDP-Laban's rules and by-laws, or they should look for another party.The senator maintains that he has the support of the majority of the party's members and officers.Pacquiao is known to have set his own sights on the presidency but has yet to declare his bid.
