Benjamin "Benhur" de Castro Abalos Jr. (born July 19, 1962) is a Filipino politician, occasional actor, and lawyer who served as Secretary of the Interior and Local Government from 2022 to 2024 in the Cabinet of President Bongbong Marcos.

He obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in history and political science at De La Salle University in 1982.

Abalos was appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte as the chairman of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) on January 11, 2021, replacing Danilo Lim, who died due to complications from COVID-19.

[7] Serving during the COVID-19 pandemic, he vowed to abide by the principle of good governance which he championed in Mandaluyong for more than a decade as its local chief executive.

With this task at hand, Abalos enjoined all of the agency employees to continue working well in delivering efficient public service.

[9] Abalos said he would bring his extensive political experience when he leads the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) under the administration of Marcos.

At this time when there is a strong call for our nation's unity, Abalos said the "DILG will play a paramount role in promoting peace and order and in bringing together our local government units.

[13] On September 26, 2024, it was officially announced that Abalos was named to the Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas senatorial slate, confirming his candidacy for the 2025 Senate election.

As of 2012, Abalos won five legs of the Philippine Triple Crown races from his "Fire Down Under", which is just one of 12 Tiger Horse Farm-ranch broodmares in Lipa, Batangas.

[17] In 2015, Abalos' was named Breeder-Owner of the year, after his horses, including Malaya and Hagdang Bato won 6 trophies and earned almost ₱30 million in prizes.

[22] His top horses include Pinagtipunan, 2016, The Glide, 2017, Parisian Life, 2023, Open Billing-Prime Billing, 2023[23] and Batang Manda, 2024.

[26] In 2001, Abalos was sued by the Office of the Ombudsman for graft due to alleged ₱1.8-billion irregularities in Mandaluyong city projects during his mayoralty term.

[29] In October 2024, former President Rodrigo Duterte filed a malicious mischief case against Abalos and Philippine National Police officers on the 15-day arrest of Apollo Quiboloy operation in the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.

[35] Brought about such experience, he later advocated early cancer detection and improved healthcare during his time as DILG Secretary.

[37][38] In an interview on 24 Oras, he admitted to have self-medicated using Lianhua Qingwen, which he received from Bongbong Marcos, who had also contracted the disease, that led to his first recovery.

[40] Abalos made a cameo appearance in an episode of the GMA drama series Black Rider that aired on May 30, 2024, showing him in his duties as DILG secretary.

[41] In November 2024, Abalos guest-starred in another GMA drama series called Lilet Matias: Attorney-at-Law, showing him in his duty as a lawyer.