Former senator Manny Pacquiao returned to government service Tuesday, taking a Cabinet-level post as lead convenor and secretary of the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) four years after his Senate term ended.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. administered Pacquiao’s oath at Malacañang, with Cabinet Secretary Benhur Abalos in attendance. Pacquiao replaces Lope Santos III.
Pacquiao’s appointment gives him the rank of Cabinet secretary under Republic Act No. 8425, or the Social Reform and Poverty Alleviation Act. The law designates the NAPC lead convenor as head of the commission secretariat.
The appointment also places Pacquiao at the helm of an agency tasked with coordinating the government’s poverty alleviation efforts.
The NAPC serves as the government’s coordinating and advisory body for the implementation of the Social Reform Agenda. It coordinates poverty alleviation programs among national and local government units and the private sector, monitors their implementation, recommends policy measures and ensures the participation of basic sectors in policymaking.
The commission also oversees and recommends measures for the formulation, implementation and evaluation of social reform and poverty alleviation programs, including resource allocation.
Pacquiao’s return to public office follows several years away from government after his Senate term ended in June 2022.
Rather than seek reelection, Pacquiao ran for president in the 2022 elections and finished third behind Marcos and then Vice President Leni Robredo.
He later sought to return to the Senate in the 2025 midterm elections as part of the administration backed Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas slate but failed to secure one of the 12 available Senate seats.
Outside politics, Pacquiao remains one of the Philippines’ most prominent athletes. He is the only boxer in history to win world titles in eight weight divisions and was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame as part of its 2025 class.
Presidential Adviser on Poverty Alleviation Secretary Larry Gadon welcomed Pacquiao’s appointment, saying it comes as the administration seeks to further reduce poverty incidence.
“His appointment is very timely now that the administration is pushing for further reduction of poverty incidence and the NAPC with the right direction could help more to achieve the poverty reduction efforts,” Gadon said in a statement.
The key difference is that the story now *opens with Pacquiao’s return and new Cabinet level role, moves immediately into what the position does, then gives his political history and sports background*. It does not simply reproduce the PR’s sequence.
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