Manny Pacquiao Earns College Degree: ‘It Is Never Too Late To Dream Bigger Dreams’

KEY POINTS

Manny Pacquiao earns a college degree
Pacquiao says the diploma means more than anything
Pacquiao finished his studies to better serve the people

Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao hit another milestone and added one more to his long list of successful achievements as the Filipino icon raised a college diploma – not a championship belt – on Wednesday after successfully finishing his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science Major in Local Government Administration degree at the University of Makati in the Philippines.

Let us engrave this in our hearts: It is never too late to dream bigger dreams. It is never too late to accomplish our dreams. LIVE YOUR PASSION, not just for yourself, but for your family and for our country.
Bachelor of Arts in Political Science- Local Government Administration pic.twitter.com/p5UwnpbP65
— Manny Pacquiao (@MannyPacquiao) December 11, 2019

The fighting Senator, who turns 41 this month, spent over a decade in his college academics, having started his undergrad studies in 2008 where he enrolled in a business management program of the Notre Dame of Dadiangas University situated in his home city in General Santos.

Pacquiao became eligible for a college education after he passed a high school equivalency exam in February 2007 under the DepEd's Alternative Learning System.

For the boxing legend, the college diploma weighs more than anything he has reached in life – even greater than the belts he seized in eight different boxing weight classes.

"I am excited to receive my diploma and hang it on the wall. I will also show this diploma to my Mommy Dionisia, my dad, and my siblings, and remind them of God’s faithfulness," Pacquiao said.

Speaking with ABS-CNB News, Manny Pacquiao also said, "There is one thing that I always want them to remember, 'NEVER EVER GIVE UP.'"

"It is never too late to dream bigger dreams. It is never too late to accomplish your dreams," he continued. “Among my achievements, this will be the most meaningful. Let this victory outside the boxing ring serve as an inspiration for people who are struggling to fight, to rise above adversity, to conquer and to embrace life and all its difficulties.”

Manny Pacquiao also revealed that the ultimate driving force that enabled him to cross the finish line of college education is the need for him “to better understand the country’s situation.” He assumed office in the Philippine Senate on June 30, 2016. He is also the current chairman of the Senate Public Works, and the Ethics and Privileges Committee.