Boxing icon-turned-politician Manny Pacquiao has fallen short in his attempt to return to the Senate, placing 18th in the 2025 midterm elections based on partial and unofficial results from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) as of Tuesday morning, May 13.
Running under the administration-aligned Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas, Pacquiao has so far garnered 10,201,495 votes, trailing by nearly 3 million behind Senator Imee Marcos, who currently holds the 12th and final Senate seat with 13,026,952 votes.
This marks Pacquiao’s second national defeat in three years, following his third-place finish in the 2022 presidential race, and a major blow to the former senator and eight-division world champion’s political career.
On election day, the 46-year-old showed up at Kiamba Central Elementary School with his wife Jinkee to cast his vote.
“Maaga akong bumoto ngayong araw. Bilang isang mamamayang Pilipino, tungkulin nating bumoto para sa kinabukasan ng ating bayan. Tandaang ang boto mo ay may boses at ang boses mo ay may kapangyarihan,” he posted on Facebook.
His son, Michael Stephen Pacquiao, however, is off to a winning start in politics, securing the 7th spot in the race for city council seats in General Santos City with 108,604 votes.
“For me personally, [I expected that] he would be in the Top 12. But I guess we were just shocked and overall he said he was fine,” Michael told reporters, referring to his father’s loss.
The 22-year-old, known for his budding music career with tracks like ‘Pac-Man’ and ‘Only You’, now takes on a new role in public service.
“[This is] surprising and overwhelming. But overall thankful and grateful that I got the opportunity to run for councilor here in General Santos City,” he said after his proclamation.
Michael, who ran under the People’s Champ Movement slate led by his aunt and reelected Mayor Lorelie Pacquiao, expressed eagerness to serve the city.
“My heart really is to help the people. Going around GenSan (during the campaign) and seeing everyone made me tell myself that this is a great opportunity for me to have a great impact on the people,” he said, noting his interest in joining the sports and tourism committees once he assumes office.
Meanwhile, Pacquiao is set to return to the boxing ring on July 19 in Las Vegas, where he will challenge Mario Barrios for the WBC welterweight championship—his first professional bout since announcing retirement in 2021.
