Senator Manny Pacquiao warned corrupt officials they will go to jail as he formally accepted the nomination of the PDP-Laban faction, which he heads, to run for president in the 2022 national elections.

"To those who serve in the government who continue to take advantage of the government funds you will soon be together in prison. Your time is up. We gave you a chance but you disappoint us," he said during the PDP-Laban faction national assembly virtually held Sunday afternoon.

"I am a fighter and I am always a fighter inside and outside the ring, in my whole life I never backed out in any fight because in the name of principle, honor of the country I always stand and fight,'' he said.

''The Manny Pacquiao that you know as the national fist is the same Manny Pacquiao that is with you in the fight against poverty and corruption," he added.

Pacquiao said the Filipino needs to win the battle against poverty as the ?people are tired of it.

"We are all tired of the situation of our country due to poverty. We need progress. We need to win against poverty. We need the government to serve the people with integrity, passion and transparency," he said.

"We are ready to rise to the challenge of leadership. To the PDP Laban, I urge you to get this in your minds the strength of our ?party lies with the trust of our people whether we are ten thousand or a million strong, For as long as we have our people's trust, we are unbeatable because God is with us," he added.

Earlier, Pacquiao said he had only three options: run for the presidency, seek re-election as senator or leave politics.

The other PDP-Laban faction, led by Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi, nominated President Rodrigo Duterte to run for vice president in the 2022 polls.

Cusi's faction recommended Senator Bong Go to run as president but Go refused the nomination.

Both groups wrote the Commission on Elections saying that they are the legitimate PDP-Laban party. DMS　By Robina Asido