MANILA -- Senator Manny Pacquiao said he has at least five foreign billionaire friends who have already committed to invest in the country should he win the presidency in 2022.

These businesses, he said, will employ all Filipino workers.

“Iba-iba eh (yung business concept), pero marami silang maibibigay na trabaho… Ang maganda dito sa mga kaibigan ko, ang gusto nila, pag dito yung investment nila, gusto nila Pilipino lang lahat (ng manggagawa),” Pacquiao said.

“At least minimum of five na ma-invite ko na mga investor na mag-invest sa ating bansa. At hindi lang 'yan, kundi, palalakasin natin 'yung small and medium enterprises para makapagbigay ng milyon-milyong trabaho sa mga Pilipino,” he added.

Pacquiao said these investments will finally help solve the problem of underemployment in the Philippines, where around 7 million workers have jobs but are still underpaid.

The sad plight of many Filipino workers, he said, can be blamed on the lack of opportunities and the ill effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Ang goal ko kasi, ang trabaho maghanap ng tao, hindi tao ang maghanap ng trabaho. Para pagdating ng panahon, yung mga kababayan natin… na nagta-trabaho sa ibang bansa, napilitan lang mag-trabaho sa ibang bansa para maka-survive sa buhay, na gusto nang bumalik dito, pwede na silang magtrabaho dito,” the boxing champ said.

Pacquiao also said he will construct a hospital that will solely cater to current and former overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and their families.

“Kung hindi kaya nang libre, siguro, 50 or 70 percent discount,” he said.

The Pacquiao family is now preparing for the senator's 43rd birthday on December 17, which they will celebrate at home in General Santos City.

Pacquiao's birthday wish, he said, is for the country to have “new mornings.”

“Ang wish ko is new mornings sa ating bansa… bagong umaga sa ating bansa. Bagong umaga, bagong pag-asa na nakikita natin na matatanaw natin,” he said.

Those new mornings include seeing a country with a “clean government" and "better and peaceful living” for ordinary Filipinos, he added.

“Namumuhay na may harmony lahat ng tao at nagkakaisa, may trabaho, hindi nagugutom. Yan ang pangarap ko. Hindi ko pinapangarap na dumami pa pera ko, dumami pa kayamanan ko. Ang pinapangarap ko na lang magkaroon ng tunay na pagbabago yung bagong umaga ng ating bansa,” he said.

JINKEE JOINS PACQUIAO SORTIES

Meanwhile, Jinkee--the boxer-turned-politician's better half--wishes her husband good health, faith in God, and a heart full of love for Filipinos.

Jinkee has been joining her husband as he goes around the country ahead of the 2022 presidential elections.

Watch: Sea of people welcoming Sen @MannyPacquiao and wife Jinkee in Pilot, Barangay Commonwealth, Quezon City. #Halalan2022 pic.twitter.com/ysIZy1NaYC

— sherrie ann torres (@sherieanntorres) December 9, 2021

In those activities, she helps distribute t-shirts and other memorabilia while riding the team’s “Man of Destiny” truck.

In Quezon City, Jinkee was also seen bumping fists and shaking hands with people lining up along Payatas Road and Barangay Commonwealth.

At the sideline of her husband's Quezon City visit, Jinkee expressed her gratitude to the throngs of people who waited for them despite the scorching heat.

“Masaya ako na 'pag nakikita ko sila na masaya rin sila na nakita si Manny,” she said.

Jinkee admitted that she was overwhelmed by the throngs of people who have welcomed them in Quezon City and other parts of the country.

“Nagpapasalamat ako sa kanila. Salamat sa Panginoon, 'yung pagmamahal namin sa tao andyan at sa mainit na pagtanggap nila pag pumupunta kami sa ibang lugar. Ang dami nila. 'Yung time nila, inilalaan nila para sa amin para makita nila kami in person,” she said.

Jinkee said she is still convincing their children to join their father’s sorties in the coming days, but she is not pressuring them to do so.

She will continue to join her husband's political activities, she said.