LEVERAGING his international frame, Senator Manny Pacquiao has revealed that he had written a letter to the White House, appealing for a faster delivery of the Moderna vaccines to the country.
He was spurred, he told legislative reporters in an interview this morning, by the slow rollout of vaccinations in the Philippines.
“Prangka ako magsalita, sumulat ako dahil medyo nababagalan ako [sa] pag-deliver ng vaccine dito sa atin,” Pacquiao said.
The athlete-politician continued: “Siguro naman kilala din ako diyan sa US, Manny Pacquiao. We do our best na makatulong. Baka mapagbigyan tayo na ma-deliver yung vaccine.”
The White House has not yet responded to the boxer’s request, though Pacquiao said that the country’s charge d’affaires said that “the embassy is ready to assist those who need help in obtaining the vaccines,” wrote Erwin Colcol of reportr.
The senator further revealed that he has been coordinating communications with President Joe Biden through Philippine ambassador to the US Jose Romualdez.
An Inquirer report revealed the partial contents of the letter, which is dated April 10.
In it, the senator asked for the "immediate release" of 20 million doses of Moderna vaccines that were procured by "the Philippine government in partnership with the private sector."
“The Philippines is now in dire health crisis because of the recent spike in COVID-19 infections,” wrote Pacquiao.
“On behalf of all Filipinos and the Filipino-American community, I humbly ask for the generous help of your government to intervene for the early delivery of the Moderna vaccines. For humanitarian reasons, we hope that this matter will merit your prompt attention and action.”
On the boxing front, Pacquiao has not stepped into the ring for the last two years, and has been stripped of his welterweight belt by the World Boxing Association due to inactivity. His camp has floated the idea of a forthcoming matchup for the eight-time champ, with names like Conor McGregor, Ryan Garcia, Terrence Crawford, and Mikey Garcia in the mix.
Nothing concrete has been announced yet.