SCREENGRAB FROM MANNY PACQUIAO’S INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT
Filipino boxing icon and Sarangani representative Manny Pacquiao cited a verse from the Bible to defend his statement against same-sex unions—a remark which drew flak on social media and did not sit well with some celebrities.
READ: Pacquiao compares gays to animals, draws flak on social media
In a post on his Instagram account, Pacquiao clarified that he was not condemning anyone but he was only abiding with what the Bible supposedly said.
“I [would] rather obey the Lord’s command than obeying the desires of the flesh. [I’m] not condemning anyone, but I’m just telling the truth of what the Bible says,” the boxer-lawmaker said.
He then cited 1 Corinthians 6:9 which read: “[9] Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men.”
Pacquiao, a senatorial aspirant under the United Nationalist Alliance, ended his message with “God Bless everyone [I] love you all.”
The 37-year-old lawmaker who is on his second term in office, has his own Christian ministry.
Pacquiao was heavily criticized on social media after he said in a TV-5 interview that same-sex unions are “worse than animals.”
Celebrities Aiza Seguerra, Vice Ganda, and Perez Hilton also called out the boxer for his supposedly bigoted remark.
READ: Vice Ganda blasts Pacquiao: We don’t need false prophets in Senate
Pacquiao, according to the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey, placed eighth in the “magic circle of 12” circle for senator. AJH/IDL