Manny Pacquiao. AP FILE PHOTO
GENERAL SANTOS CITY, Philippines – World champion and Sarangani Representative Manny Pacquiao has formally announced that he has set aside around P295 million ($US6.7 million) out of his earnings from boxing for the construction of a house of worship here.
Pacquiao, a born again Christian, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer that the five-hectare lot alone, on which, the church would rise would cost P95 million.
“I owe to God everything that I have right now – wealth, health, fame, success, a dutiful and beautiful wife and my wonderful children. I have to give it back to Him. The amount is nothing compared to what God has done to my life,” Pacquiao said in the vernacular.
Pacquiao said building the worship house would be his way of glorifying and thanking God.
“We came into this world bare and naked. In our final rendezvous with the Great Beyond, we can bring nothing,” Pacquiao added.
According to Rey Cortez, project engineer, two hectares of the five-hectare lot will be devoted for the church two-storey building and an annex. The total cost of the project would be around P200 million, he said.
The two-story building, Cortez said, would serve as the main worship area while the annex building will house the Bible school, Bible study room, a pastor’s lounge and commercial offices.
“We target to finish the project within an 18-month period. But he asked us to expedite the construction so it can be used by December 2015. I think the two-story main building will be finished and will be ready for use by then,” Cortez said.
Pacquiao is currently renting the entire third floor of the Maduramente building here for church service every Sunday.
He said spreading the Word of God would be among his jobs after his retirement from boxing.
“The Words of God strengthened my faith and protected me from evil. That’s why I always bring and read my Bible,” Pacquiao said.
“Aside from my legacy in boxing and politics, I want to leave something more important and special – a legacy of faith and a House of God. This one is much, much more self-fulfilling than my achievements in boxing and politics,” the Filipino boxing superstar said.
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