A young Filipino boy by the name of Manny Pacquiao was once so poor that he couldn’t even afford a handful of rice for lunch.

This young man, however, rose to the top of the fame ladder thanks to his dogged determination and burning ambition to lift himself and his family out of their abject poverty.

He did so with such distinction that he is now the only boxer in the history of the sport to have won the world championship in eight different weight divisions.

Manny Pacquiao has not forgotten about his impoverished upbringing, despite the tremendous success that he has achieved.

And he used some of the money he won for the fight to construct a community for the people who lived in Tango, his hometown, which is located in the province of Sarangani that has the lowest standard of living in the country.

The fighter did not stop there, and as of today, his money has already been used to construct homes for thousands of families living in poverty.

Manny referred to the gorgeous village that was developed for the less fortunate as “Pac-Man Village.”

Each home features two independent entrances and is laid out to accommodate two households at once. By the way, the fighter is known by his ring name, Pac-Man.

The brand-new neighborhood features both outdoor and indoor athletic fields, in addition to a community park and a multipurpose community center.

Manny was raised in a huge family that lived in poverty and subsisted primarily on bananas and root vegetables.

At order to contribute financially to the upkeep of his family, he left school when he was just 12 years old and began working in the family bakery while also peddling donuts on the sidewalk.

It was at that time that he began boxing, and his uncle served as his first trainer.

Manny was known to have a strong personality even when he was very little, according to an uncle:

“He got up at the same time every morning—4:00—in order to go for a run. After watching him train for a total of six months, I confidently predicted that he would one day win the world championship. And he did.”

Today, Manny is recognized as one of the most well-liked and influential people in his nation. After dabbling in the field for a while, he eventually became successful enough to win legislative elections.

Manny furiously writes the following caption beside this photo on his Instagram account:

“Such is the way of life. When people ask me what I’ve accomplished in my role as a public servant and I remain silent, I face criticism.

When I detail exactly what it is that I’ve accomplished, I am subjected to criticism as well.