During the formal launching of Team Pacquiao GG (TPGG) at the City of Dreams in Parañaque, Pacquiao said esports is a rapidly growing sporting industry that is generating employment and business opportunities around the world and the Philippines must harness its own talents to become a major force in international electronic gaming.
“Today, we are launching Team Pacquiao to sow the seed of Filipino excellence in international esports competitions. Our purpose is to become the pound for pound esports heavyweights of Southeast Asia through community engagements, professional teams, content creation, and charitable giving,” Pacquiao said.
“Team Pacquiao has partnered with Veloce Group (Veloci) to build Team Pacquiao together to something special not only for the Philippines but also for the world. We have brought together a team of five incredibly talented Filipino men and women as founding members of Team Pacquiao, who have accomplished so much in their gaming and streaming careers and also share my vision to create opportunities for those without them. ,” Pacquiao added in his speech.
Pacquiao is no stranger in the esports scene as he had already participated in several esports events and is even an endorser of the ultra-popular Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. He even has his own legendary skin and has been immortalized in the esports scene through one of the ML fighters named Paquito.
Pacquiao said that esports has become a billion-dollar global industry not only for the e-game creators but also for content creators and esports athletes and even team owners. International e-game competitions offer multi-million prizes while leading esports athletes become endorsers for many high-paying marketing campaigns.
“Most Filipinos identify video gaming as a hobby and possible addiction for younger people that must be supervised. But not anymore. Esports is not just an online phenomenon but a legitimate, growing sporting industry around the world with a lot of job and business opportunities,” Pacquaio said.
Esports is the future and I’m really happy to be part of this quest to create world-class content creators, Filipino gamers and develop them into professional athletes,” Pacquiao said.
Pacquiao said esports is also gaining recognition in the mainstream sporting world and the Philippines must already start harnessing potential talents who can represent the country in major sporting events.
“In fact, in 2019 the Southeast Asian Games have already featured it as a medal event. Now the Olympic committee is considering its presence in the 2024 Olympic Games,” Pacquiao said.
“Together with Veloce, we developed the Team Pacquiao brand as part of a long-term strategy to build the national esports gaming team of the Philippines that will compete across all of Asia and conquer the world of esports,” he added.
Apart from developing world-class esports athletes and content creators, Pacquiao said that the goal of Team Pacquiao “is to elevate esports and gaming as a platform for inclusivity and positive change within the Philippines and Southeast Asia.”
“The Team Pacquiao Brand aims to elevate the competitive spirit of the Filipinos and engage the community through world-class content, grass-root and premier esports events across the nation, engaging in charitable activities and building our own professional esports teams,” Pacquiao said.
Pacquaio’s TPGG will be composed of a five-man team with various expertise in the esports scene. One is “GLOCO” who is one of the pioneer YouTubers and a creative content creator in the country while “Kimbee” is a TV model and a chef. There’s also “Een,” who is also a model and a successful young entrepreneur in the field of crypto-trading; “Shin Boo” who a world-renowned esports international commentator and Wrecker who is known not only as a badass e-gamer but also a philanthropist having raised P15 Million which he donated to the victims of Typhoon Yolanda.
“As I step away from boxing, I want to continue to give something back to the Filipino people who have given me so much support and love in my career. We have a lot in store for the community and I can’t wait to be a part of this journey with Team Pacquiao. This is only just the beginning,” Pacquiao said.
/MUF