An ice cream vendor got the shock of his life when boxer and Philippine Senator Manny Pacquiao said he would gift him with a house.
Here’s how it went down according to Jen Manilay, Pacquiao’s assistant, who shared the news on Facebook yesterday.
Wrote Manilay, “While MP [Pacquiao] was waiting inside his car, I called the ice cream vendor to buy ice cream. It was really hot. And I realized it’s the same man whom I always buy from whenever I get ice cream on my way to work. I bought 10 pieces of ice cream and gave one to MP. And MP suddenly said, ‘Call the ice cream vendor.’ He was really surprised when I introduced him to Manny Pacquiao.
“I gave him PHP3,000 (US$57.15). When Manny learned he has three kids who weren’t in school and that he recently had a stroke, Manny gave him PHP30,000 (US$571.52).”
Here’s Manilay’s video of Manny’s interaction with the vendor:
The conversation — and the gift-giving — didn’t end there.
“MP asked him, ‘where do you live?’ The man said he’s renting a house. And MP suddenly said, ‘You just rent? Next week, I’ll give you a house and lot,” wrote Manilay.
As of today, Manilay’s post has been shared 50,256 times and has received more than 86,000 reactions.
Needless to say, his fans were ecstatic.
“He hit the jackpot! No one can compete against Sen. Manny’s generosity,” Facebook user Rey L. Billena said in Filipino.
“I got goosebumps, Ate Jen! I hope to meet MP too so I can take a picture [with him],” Jio Marthi Manilay Gonzales said.
Another fan wrote: “Manny is really a nice guy. Mabuhay (long live), MP. I’d like to have an ice cream Jen, hehehe.”
Pacquiao, who has been serving as a Philippine senator since 2016, is set to fight Argentinian boxer Lucas Matthysse in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on July 15. His last fight in July last year ended in a surprise defeat to Australian boxer Jeff Horn.
For the sake of the ice cream vendor, we hope Pacquiao’s offer to give him a house was a genuine vow from the “People’s Champ” and not just an empty promise from a politician.
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