Boxing great Manny Pacquiao returns to politics as Philippines' anti-poverty chief

Manny Pacquiao — the Philippines' biggest sports icon and the only boxer in history to win world titles in eight weight divisions — was appointed chair of the National Anti-Poverty Commission, a Cabinet-level post, on Tuesday, local time.

According to the Philippine News Agency and other local media, Pacquiao took his oath as NAPC chair at Malacañang Palace, the office of the Philippine president, on Tuesday. Pacquiao had stepped away from politics after losing the 2022 presidential election, and his appointment marks his return to public office after four years.

In South Korea, he is familiar to audiences from his appearances on the variety shows "Infinite Challenge" in 2017 and "Running Man" in 2022. During his 2022 "Running Man" appearance alongside singer Sandara Park, who has lived in the Philippines, Pacquiao promised to invite the show's cast to visit him. He made good on that promise in 2023, welcoming the cast to his home in the Philippines — a visit that made headlines. His sprawling 1,650-square-meter estate, revealed at the time, also drew wide attention.

After retiring from boxing, Pacquiao was elected to the House of Representatives from Sarangani province in 2010 and served two terms, six years, in the lower house. He then ran for and won a Senate seat in the 2016 general election, a nationwide race. While serving as senator, he ran for president in 2022 but lost, finishing third behind now-President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and other rivals. After his Senate term ended, Pacquiao withdrew from politics — until Marcos tapped him for the latest Cabinet post.

By naming a former presidential rival to his Cabinet, Marcos appears to be attempting a form of political cooperation. But local media have read a different motive behind the move. With his administration reeling from a corruption scandal, Marcos is trying to recover his approval rating by recruiting a national hero and using the high-profile appointment to divert public attention.

Marcos' approval rating has been battered by inflation, inadequate infrastructure and his administration's inept response to flood and typhoon damage. Compounding the crisis, a massive corruption scandal broke out last year. The Philippine government had poured tens of billions of pesos into flood-control infrastructure projects. It later emerged that lawmakers, government officials and construction contractors had colluded to pocket huge kickbacks. The kickbacks uncovered so far are estimated at as much as 40 percent of the budget.

In his State of the Nation Address last year, Marcos vowed a sweeping investigation into the scandal. But the crisis dealt a fatal blow to his administration's credibility after a fugitive key broker alleged that large bribes had also flowed to people close to the president. In a Momentum Research poll last month, only 36.4 percent of respondents approved of Marcos, while 57.4 percent disapproved. By comparison, Vice President Sara Duterte, daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte, is polling at 60 percent approval despite standing trial on impeachment charges. That contrast underscores just how dire Marcos' 36 percent approval rating is.

Local media have interpreted the move as a sign that Marcos, unable to rebuild support through his own political capital, turned to Pacquiao, a superstar who commands overwhelming public goodwill. Announcing the appointment on social media that day, Marcos praised Pacquiao as "an advocate for the people."

Pacquiao is the only boxer in history to win world titles in eight different weight divisions. He is also widely known as an icon of overcoming adversity, having grown up in a poor farming family on the southern island of Mindanao and sold doughnuts as a child to help support his family.