Boxing star and Philippine Senate candidate Manny Pacquiao apologized Tuesday for denouncing people in gay relationships as “worse than animals” but said he stood by his opposition to same-sex marriage.
Fellow Filipino celebrities were among those criticizing his remarks, made when a TV network asked candidates about their views on same-sex marriage.
“It’s just common sense,” Pacquiao said in the remarks posted online by the TV5 network. “Have you seen any animal having male-to-male or female-to-female relations?”
I’m sorry for hurting people by comparing homosexuals to animals. Please forgive me for those I’ve hurt.”Manny Pacquiao
In an Instagram post, he said he was not condemning anyone, but was just expounding on a biblical truth and would rather obey God than obey “the desires of the flesh.”
Pacquiao has recently declared plans to retire after his third bout with Timothy Bradley on April 9 in Las Vegas with a guaranteed $20 million payday.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)