OKAY. So it wasn?t a feint. Boxing icon Manny Pacquiao really looks set on throwing his hat into the political ring a second time, and apparently for keeps. He has already formed a ?local? political party, the People?s Champ Movement, which is awaiting official Commission on Elections recognition. He has already signed on as party president. And, from Las Vegas, and with the assistance of one of the world?s most famous emcees, he has already signaled his ambition to run for office in Sarangani Province.

He will do so against the advice of many. Some of that advice is well-meant; at the peak of his career, the world?s best pound-for-pound boxer should not be distracted from the pursuit of all-time-great status. Some of the advice is, well, condescending; in the view of many, Pacquiao should not involve himself in politics because, with his lack of formal education (which he is currently remedying), he is unqualified. This view is rankly undemocratic; it is also grossly uninformed by history. Our narrative of plunder and corruption involves many highly educated men and women with expensive degrees?those we all too readily describe as qualified for political office.

The rest of the advice is a mix of both good intention and condescension: many Filipinos do not want Pacquiao to end up being used by politicians (especially by the Arroyo administration, represented by the spectral presence at the boxer?s side of former Ilocos Sur Gov. Luis ?Chavit? Singson and Environment Secretary Lito Atienza), and many fear he will not have the habits of reflection and the inner disposition to know when he is being used.

There are some grounds for thinking that Pacquiao will succumb to the worst temptations of the political life. In 2007, he did not give serious thought to the political opposition in Gen. Santos City, which helps explain the failure of his congressional bid; he thought money could solve everything. In 2009, he travels with an even bigger entourage than ever, a protective bubble that tends to isolate those inside it from the rest of the community.

But it is also true that Pacquiao built a triumphant life out of practically nothing, is now a sports legend-in-the-making, because he goes for the jugular. That, in the end, may best explain his obsession with political office. Life in the Philippines pulses through this jugular vein; why shouldn?t he aim for it?

If Pacquiao cannot be dissuaded from entering politics, then perhaps he could consider a career as a local government official. Local politics is where most of the interaction between ordinary citizen and public official occurs: regular garbage collection, working street lights, adequate community day care centers?the list of necessary tasks is long and unglamorous.

Unfortunately, it seems Pacquiao is set on running for Congress, perhaps because it is a national office. He may find it difficult to carve out a distinguished career as a legislator. (This is not necessarily a bad thing; Ramon Magsaysay shone only when he was given an executive portfolio.)

Thus, on the Freddie Roach-ian principle that anticipation is the key to victory, we suggest the following three-point political agenda for Pacquiao.

? He can make election reform his legacy. The democratic project is based on a principle of equality which should be dear to Pacquiao?s heart: one man, one vote. Unfortunately, as residents in certain parts of his native Mindanao can attest, the exercise of power and money distorts that principle. Pacquiao can leverage his political office and his personal popularity to help make dirty elections, one town at a time, a thing of the past.

? He can lead the fight against corruption. In particular, he can bring public pressure to bear on the Office of the Ombudsman, whoever occupies the office, to run after malefactors and raise its conviction rate. Again, he can leverage his office and popularity to attract greater public participation in anti-corruption campaigns, and embolden witnesses to testify.

? He can join the fight against poverty. He need not spend his own considerable fortune, but he can push for more entrepreneur-friendly policies. He can also lend his prestige to the cause of agrarian reform, an issue that has riven his beloved Mindanao and which will pit him against some of the very politicians who took him, when still young, under their wing.

All this will require of him a different kind of courage.