Donaire: Pacquiao just voiced out his beliefs improperly
Nonito Donaire (right) defends Manny Pacquiao, saying his fellow boxing champion just communicated his beliefs but did so in an improper manner. INQUIRER PHOTO
Filipino boxing great Nonito Donaire Jr. on Friday put his two cents on the controversial remarks of his fellow champion Manny Pacquiao, who drew global flak for relegating gays as “worse than animals.”
Donaire said the Sarangani representative was just voicing out his beliefs, but unfortunately did it in an improper manner.
READ: Pacquiao likens gays to animals, draws flak
“All in all I’m sure what was posted is just Pacquiao’s way of saying what his belief was coming from was deep rooted in the Bible and it’s just communicated improperly,” Donaire said in a Facebook post.
“This too shall pass and soon it’ll be April 9,” he added, referring to the date of Pacquiao’s upcoming match with Timothy Bradley.
READ: Amid backlash, beleaguered Pacquiao continues training
Pacquiao, who is running for senator under the opposition ticket of Vice President Jejomar Binay, earned the ire of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community after comparing homosexuals to animals in his stand against same-sex marriage.
Pacquiao, who converted from Catholicism to evangelical Protestantism, has since apologized for his slur, but maintained his opposition against gay unions.
Following Pacquiao’s remarks, American sportswear giant Nike dropped him from its roster of endorsers.
READ: Pacquiao loses Nike, faces DQ threat
Donaire also expressed fear that some people would take literally a Bible verse that Pacquiao quoted in a deleted Instagram post about “putting gays to death.”
“I humbly pray that nobody takes this Bible verse Pacquiao posted about ‘put to death gays’ LITERALLY. You don’t need to accept their lifestyle but I’d rather not see it turned into actual action. Crazy people may use it as an encouragement to do so just like how others say rap music made them violent or how Islam extremists kill in the name of their Holy war like Sept. 11th,” Donaire said.
“From witchcraft to Holocaust to the more recent ISIS … without compassion we will fall. Without love we will fall,” he added. RC
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