Executive Secretary Ralph Recto challenged National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) Secretary and Lead Convenor Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao to help the government “knockout” hunger and poverty during their meeting at Malacañang on October 1.

“Panahon na para sama-sama nating i-knockout ang gutom at kahirapan,” Recto told Pacquiao, according to a statement from the Office of the Executive Secretary.

The two discussed measures to strengthen and coordinate government programs aimed at addressing poverty, particularly those directly benefiting poor families.

The Marcos administration is targeting to reduce the country’s poverty incidence to 9% by 2028.

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, poverty incidence fell to 9.7% in 2025 from 15.5% in 2023. Despite the decline, about 11 million Filipinos remained below the poverty line.

Recto stressed the need to sustain and accelerate programs that directly assist poor communities, while improving coordination among government agencies to ensure their efforts are aligned.

The NAPC is the government’s coordinating and advisory body for social reform and poverty alleviation. It was created under Republic Act 8425, or the Social Reform and Poverty Alleviation Act, which Recto helped advance as a lawmaker and which was signed into law in 1997.

Nearly three decades later, the government is again aiming to bring poverty down, with a 9% target by 2028.