Manny Pacquiao, the world champion boxer turned Philippine senator, is improving conditions in his native country one person at a time.
Pacquiao may have traded his boxing gloves for a proverbial suit, but the well-known philanthropist hasn’t lost his personal touch when it comes to acts of kindness.
READ: How Manny Pacquiao is Giving Back to His Home Country in a Big Way
Last week, Facebook user Jen Manilay was with Pacquiao on a sweltering hot day, when they decided to get some ice cream from a local ice cream vendor, The Christian Post reported.
Manilay bought 10 treats, one for each of the members of the group they were with. As Pacquiao made small talk with the vendor, he discovered the man had recently suffered a stroke.
Pacquaio then handed the man about 30,000 Philippine pesos, about $570, to help cushion the man’s financial woes, including paying for his children’s education.
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“Heartwarming afternoon today,” Manilay wrote on Facebook. “Surely, Sen. Manny Pacquiao is such a good and humble man.”
The reknown boxer-turned-senator was so moved by the man’s story that he even offered him a job and a house. Pacquiao himself has been vocal about growing up in poverty, having to drop out of school at the age of 14 to help support his family.
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Last year, Pacquiao told The Christian Post that he wanted to please the Lord. He said that while boxing was his passion, public service is now his calling.
“I want to provide opportunities for my fellow countrymen that will improve their situations,” he said. “As a politician, I want to help create jobs so that I can bring them out of their poverty.”
(H/T: The Christian Post)