According to Nikkei Asia, Manny Pacquiao joined President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s cabinet on Tuesday as lead convener of the Philippines' National Anti-Poverty Commission, taking on his first cabinet post after a 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. Pacquiao said he would help Filipinos facing hardship and said he understood poverty firsthand. The Marcos administration is seeking to cut poverty incidence to 8%-9% by 2028, after government data showed the rate fell to 9.7% in 2025, equal to about 11.08 million people living below the poverty line.