If you’ve ever seen Manny Pacquiao in the ring, then you know he has fists of fury and is one of the best boxers we’ve seen in the last several years. In other words, he’s a total badass.
But Pacquiao’s bad-assery extends beyond the ring, as well. He’s never forgotten where he came from, having grown up in poverty in the Sarangani Province of the Philippines. Pacquiao grew up in a cardboard shack with his family, and they sometimes didn’t have any food to eat. The future boxing great left home at the age of 15 and survived on the mean streets of Manila.
Now, Pacquiao is generally regarded as one of the sport’s greats, and he also serves as a senator in his native country. He also works to give back to those who are less fortunate. Pacquiao said, “I feel what they’re feeling because I’ve been there. I’ve slept in the street. That was my life before. So hard. That’s why I feel what they’re feeling right now.”
So Pacquiao did something about it: he built 1,000 houses for needy Filipinos. He bought the lots, built the homes, and then gave them away. The cost for the folks who received them: FREE.
He said, “I’m so happy giving these houses free to my constituents in Sarangani Province from my own pocket more than a thousand families are the beneficiaries.”
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Altogether, the beloved boxing champ has given away about $200 million to fund projects to help the needy. Pacquiao said, “Every income I receive in boxing, almost half of it goes to the less fortunate. After each fight, half of my income goes to the poor. But I don’t like to announce it.”
A great man, and a great example.
