GENERAL SANTOS (Philippines) (AFP) An armoured Hummer jeep rolled out of Manny Pacquiaos garage and past his boxing glove-shaped swimming pool, ready to take the worlds best fighter on the election hustings. Shortly afterwards a smiling Pacquiao dressed in smart casual clothes walked into a reception room at his mansion that was covered from floor to ceiling with blow-up photos of his finest moments in the boxing ring. I want them to believe me that Im good not only in boxing but also in serving them, the seven-time world champion told AFP in an interview, getting straight to the point as to why he desperately wants to become a politician. With realistically only a few years if not bouts left before the end of his prime, the 31-year-old Pacman is making a second attempt to win a seat in parliament. Unlike in the ring, where he is widely regarded to be the worlds best pound-for-pound fighter, in politics he has an undistinguished 0-1 record after having been bloodied in an attempt in 2007. Knocked out in his last congressional run in the southern port city of General Santos, Pacquiao is standing for a seat in nearby Sarangani province at the May 10 national elections. Pacquiao says his lack of experience in public office will work to his advantage in a nation where violence and graft has earned it a reputation for being ruled with guns, goons and gold. Right now its getting worse you know, (the) corruption, he said. If you think politics is dirty, I think we can change that. Pacquiao is up against a member of the Chiongbian clan, which has ruled the area for years and owns large chunks of the local economy, making the champ very much the nouveau-riche upstart. But Pacquiao has had plenty of election campaign cash to spend from his fat fight purses and a myriad of commercial endorsements that range from shampoo to beer and karaoke microphones. Forbes Magazine listed him as one of the worlds highest-paid athletes in 2009 with a years earnings of 40 million dollars, and he made another reported 12 million dollars in his last fight against Ghanas Joshua Clottey in March. However it was not always that way and Pacquiao gives a sincere impression that his political ambitions are rooted in his childhood poverty. He listed the absence of many basic social services in Sarangani, one of the poorest provinces in the Philippines. The problem in our place, first, is livelihood; second is education and third is health care and medical assistance. The province of 420,000 people does not even have a hospital of its own, he added. Pacquiao was abandoned by his father and as a boy lived in a tiny rented room with his mother at the Labangan slum in General Santos, the countrys tuna canning capital and also one of the hotbeds of local boxing. Like many other local youths before him, he used his golden fists to escape a life of poverty. He has since reconciled with his father, Rosalio Pacquiao, who now helps him at the stumps. Some of the boxers riches have been invested in the local economy, including a bottled water business that bears his name and undercuts rivals. Local officials say the champ is also an important contributor to charity, with free school buildings in Sarangani among his pet projects. Pacquiao the candidate flashed the cash this month in a rain-soaked sortie in the impoverished town of Malapatan, where the locals plant maize and fish the nearby Sarangani Bay in tiny outrigger boats. At a local petrol station, 56-year-old farmer Leonardo Salazar joined more than a hundred moped riders queueing for a free tank of petrol, paid for by the Pacquiao camp. The group said they only had to join the Pacquiao motorcade to collect 200 pesos (about 4.5 dollars) at the end of the day. But Salazar insisted everything was above board. This is not bribery. We see this as a chance to help our idol, he said. Although the boxer would seem to be using tactics of more seasoned politicians to garner support, Pacquiao insisted he was fighting his political battle by the rules and would as such emerge victorious. Right now Im leading in the public surveys, he said. Im confident that people will trust me.