By Nick Giongco
For the second straight day, Manny Pacquiao took the spotlight before another stellar cast of listeners: members of the Cambridge Union.
Pacquiao, boxing’s only eight-division champion and member of the Philippine Senate, graced the invitation of Cambridge University to speak, impart his ideas and inspire with his meteoric rise to stardom.
A day after speaking at Oxford University, Pacquiao was warmly received at England’s second oldest university, captivating the academe with his rags-to-riches life story and earning their admiration with his humility and his burning desire to alleviate poverty in the Philippines.
“Today, I am not just in any obscure part of the global university. I am deeply honored to be invited by the Cambridge Union, the oldest debating and free speech society in the world and the largest student society in the University of Cambridge,” said Pacquiao in the first part of his speech.
“I am not a scientist, a mathematician, or a philosopher. But you have given me this privilege of addressing you. I am humbled to be in the midst of brilliant students in this prestigious university that has educated remarkable alumni, including British Prime Ministers, foreign Heads of States, monarchs, and royals. It is my distinct honor to stand before all of you.”
Just like at Oxford, Pacquiao urged everyone to keep the faith and never give up on their dreams in his speech titled “A Fight For Life.”
