Boxing icon Manny Pacquiao takes up PH fight against poverty

MANILA - Boxing great Manny Pacquiao spent decades throwing punches in the boxing ring. From Tuesday, the Filipino sports icon will direct his fight at a more enduring opponent: poverty.

Pacquiao joined President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s cabinet on Tuesday as head of the government's anti-poverty agency, vowing to help Filipinos facing hardships all too familiar to him.

The 47-year-old former senator was appointed lead convener of the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC), his first cabinet post after a long political career that included service in Congress and the Senate, an unsuccessful 2022 presidential run and a failed bid to return to the Senate in 2025 as part of Marcos' administration-backed ticket.

As NAPC chief, Pacquiao will coordinate government efforts to reduce poverty, which he said he understands firsthand.

"I came from poverty. I experienced sleeping on cardboard on the streets, drinking only water, having nothing to eat, and saving loose coins just to help my family," Pacquiao said in a statement.

Pacquiao, who came from impoverished beginnings, worked as a ship stowaway and fought on the streets as a boy, earning $2 per fight. His net worth was $220 million last year, according to a Sports Illustrated article.

He takes over the anti-poverty agency as the Marcos administration seeks to cut poverty incidence to 8-9% by 2028. Government data showed the rate fell to 9.7% in 2025, equivalent to about 11.08 million Filipinos living below the poverty line.

The only boxer to win world titles in eight weight divisions, Pacquiao remains among the Philippines' most revered sporting figures, with his biggest fights drawing everyone from presidents and Hollywood stars to ordinary Filipinos, often bringing the nation of 119 million people to a standstill.

The southpaw retired in 2021 but returned to the ring in July 2025 to face Mario Barrios for the WBC welterweight championship on July 19 in Las Vegas. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2025.

- Karen Lema and Nestor Corrales; Editing by Michael Perry/Reuters