Manny Pacquiao is back in government. The eight-division boxing champion took his oath Tuesday as lead convenor of the National Anti-Poverty Commission, handing the Marcos administration a marquee name to front its poverty fight and closing a political loop that began when he lost the 2022 presidential race to Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
A Cabinet-level return
Pacquiao, 47, was sworn in before President Marcos at Malacañang on September 8, with First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and Cabinet Secretary Benhur Abalos in attendance. Marcos administered the oath and, according to the Presidential Communications Office, expressed confidence in Pacquiao’s leadership as the administration intensifies its anti-poverty push. The post carries the rank of a Cabinet secretary, and Pacquiao replaces Lope Santos III, who had led the NAPC since 2023.
What the NAPC actually does
Created by Republic Act No. 8425, the NAPC coordinates poverty-reduction programs of national and local governments and works to give marginalized sectors a seat in decision-making. It is chaired by Marcos; as lead convenor, Pacquiao heads the commission’s secretariat. The appointment follows Executive Order No. 123, which shifted oversight of the NAPC and the Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor from the DSWD to the Office of the President.
| Office | National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) |
| Position | Lead convenor, with the rank of Cabinet secretary |
| Appointed by | President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. |
| Replaces | Lope Santos III (lead convenor since 2023) |
| Legal basis | Republic Act No. 8425; Executive Order No. 123 |
| Oath date | September 8, 2026 |
From the ring to the Cabinet
The arc is unusual even for Philippine politics. Pacquiao, the only eight-division world champion in boxing history with 12 major world titles and a 2025 International Boxing Hall of Fame inductee, served as Sarangani’s congressman from 2010 to 2016 and as senator from 2016 to 2022. He retired from the ring to run for president in 2022, lost to Marcos, then lost a Senate bid in 2025 under Marcos’ Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas. Now the man who beat him has put him in charge of the country’s anti-poverty machinery, a role separate from that of Larry Gadon, Marcos’ presidential adviser for poverty alleviation.
Why it matters
Pacquiao inherits a mandate that spans the very programs that dominate the poverty conversation, from proposals to raise the monthly pension of indigent seniors to scheduled hikes in state payouts that cushion rising costs. Expect the commission to lean on its convening power to push the administration’s social-protection agenda, including measures like the proposed P1,000 monthly pension for senior citizens and this month’s increase in SSS pension payouts.
