Manny Pacquiao has schooled many fighters as a master of the sweet science of boxing, but on Wednesday he showed he’s a scientist of another kind after graduating from university. The Philippines boxing icon and senator of the nation that adores the eight-time division champion graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in political science (major in local government administration) attained from the University of Makati. View this post on Instagram 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. I am grateful to the Expanded Tertiary Education Equivalency and Accreditation Program (ETEEAP) of the Philippine Councilors League-Legislative Academy (PCCLA) which gives chance to qualified Filipinos to attain College degree/diploma- Filipinos who wish to complete college through informal education. The enriching learning program was in partnership with the University of Makati College of Continuing, Advanced and Professional Studies, the Development Academy of the Philippines, and the Philippine Society for Public Administration. I will always remember the key lessons that I learned and the insights that I gained from all of you! I will always cherish the excitement that I experienced during the entire learning process leading to the exit conference, the final requirement that I needed to complete in order to earn a degree in Bachelor of Arts in Political Science- Local Government Administration. I am excited to receive my diploma and display it on the wall. I dedicate this to my very beautiful and very supportive wife, Jinkee, and to our amazing children, Jimuel, Michael, Princess, Queenie, and Israel. I will also show this diploma to my Mommy Dionisia, my Dad, and my siblings and remind them of God’s faithfulness. 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. Emmanuel D. Pacquiao Bachelor of Arts in Political Science- Local Government Administration Class of 2019, University of Makati A post shared by Manny Pacquiao (@mannypacquiao) on Dec 11, 2019 at 3:06am PST Pacquiao, who turns 41 on December 17, was all smiles as he sat in his chair wearing his robe during a graduation ceremony on Wednesday. Are you a Conor McGregor or a Manny Pacquiao? A Sylvester Stallone or a Bruce Willis? From boxing to MMA, find out which fighting style is right for you Pacquiao later wrote on Instagram of his pride in finally attaining a degree, saying among his achievements “this will be the most meaningful”. “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,” he wrote. “I am excited to receive my diploma and display it on the wall. I dedicate this to my very beautiful and very supportive wife, Jinkee, and to our amazing children, Jimuel, Michael, Princess, Queenie, and Israel. I will also show this diploma to my Mommy Dionisia, my Dad, and my siblings and remind them of God’s faithfulness. Among my achievements, this will be the most meaningful.” The welterweight legend had enrolled in Notre Dame of Dadiangas University in his hometown of General Santos City under its business management programme in 2008 but it’s the first time “Pacman” has graduated with a fully fledged degree that will augur well in his political ambitions of one day leading the Philippines nation as a possible future president. Senator @MannyPacquiao to graduate on December 11- Wednesday. Pacquiao will be armed with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science degree from the University of Makati SAP JJ @ABSCBNNews @ANCALERTS pic.twitter.com/DV13posg17 — sherrie ann torres (@sherieanntorres) December 9, 2019 His name was clearly on the list of graduates made public on Monday. He graduated under the name of Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao. In September, Pacquiao proudly shared his university ID on Instagram, where he told his millions of fans that he was a “proud student of the University of Makati”. He captioned the photo with the words that read “Never stop learning because life never stops teaching”. View this post on Instagram Never stop learning because life never stops teaching. A post shared by Manny Pacquiao (@mannypacquiao) on Sep 6, 2019 at 4:04am PDT “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,” he wrote. Earlier in a TV interview, the man who fought the likes of Floyd Mayweather Jnr and Ricky Hatton, said he planned to continue his studies, and would pursue a master’s degree at Harvard University in the United States one day. With his university degree in the bag, Pacquiao can now focus on his next fight, and it could be against Mexican-American Mickey Garcia, who told the US media that he was “very close” to signing a deal to fight Pacquiao next summer. SEA Games: Manny Pacquiao and Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte open biennial as typhoon nears Pacquiao fought twice in 2019 – against Adrien Broner and Keith Thurman – and Garcia is confident that he could get a piece of the action against the Filipino great even though he faces stiff competition from namesake Danny Garcia, who is also a possible opponent for the fighting senator. “[Next year] will be huge. I expect a big, active year for me – two, three times,” Mickey Garcia, 31, told Fighthype . “And I really want to get a lot of action next year, and I want to get big fights. I want to get fights that people are excited for, and want to watch. “We’ve been discussing a fight against Manny Pacquiao for a long time now, and it seems like it’s very close and it can actually happen. Nothing is secure. He has some political obligations right now. He’s still busy with that, but the last thing I heard, he’s interested in fighting in the early part of the summer. There’s still no opponent secured. That’s why I want to jump in and try and get that fight.”