Manny Pacquiao, the world champion boxer turned Philippine politician, on Tuesday apologized after calling people in gay relationships “worse than animals” during an interview with a local broadcaster, setting off a torrent of criticism.
In a video that was shared widely online on Monday, Pacquiao told the TV5 network: “It’s common sense. Do you see animals mating with the same sex? Animals are better because they can distinguish male from female. If men mate with men and women mate with women, they are worse than animals.”
Pacquiao, 37, a second-term congressman, has been campaigning for a Philippine Senate seat in elections scheduled for May.
His political ascendance has been fueled in large part by his storybook rise from poverty to avatar of national pride for the Southeast Asian island nation.
However, the video of his recent remarks threatened to tarnish that image as fellow politicians, national celebrities and gay rights groups took turns issuing condemnations.
Vice Ganda, a popular gay comedian and television host with more than 6 million followers on Twitter, unleashed a series of posts on the social network pointing out Pacquiao’s absenteeism from the Philippine Congress — a common refrain of his critics — and labeling him a “false prophet.”
Several politicians denounced the boxer’s comments on Tuesday, the Manila Times reported, while Ladlad, an LGBT group, issued a condemnation that urged voters to boycott him at the polls on election day.
Pacquiao on Tuesday moved to contain the controversy by posting an apology on his social media accounts.
A born-again Christian, he said that he stood by his opposition to gay marriage, which is banned in the deeply Catholic country.
“I’m sorry for hurting people by comparing homosexuals to animals,” he said on Instagram. “Please forgive me for those I’ve hurt. I still stand on my belief that I’m against same sex marriage because of what the Bible says, but I’m not condemning LGBT. I love you all with the love of the Lord. God Bless you all and I’m praying for you.”
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