Presidential candidates Miriam Defesor-Santiago and VP Jejomar Binay won’t drop Manny Pacquiao from their senatorial slate in the upcoming 2016 national elections despite the boxing icon’s controversial remarks against the LGBT communities. The Pinoy boxing hero remains firmly rooted in the senatorial line-ups of Santiago and Binay.
Both the camps of VP Binay and Sen. Santiago defended Manny Pacquiao after the internationally-renowned fighter said people in homosexual relationships are “worse than animals.”
Aside from the two presidentiables, Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, the running mate of Sen. Santiago, said that they cannot just simply drop candidates due to their personal opinions. Marcos was quoted as saying “You cannot punish somebody for having an opinion,” Marcos said.
Sen. Marcos also claimed that the outrage against Manny Pacquiao is short of religious persecution. “It’s like persecuting somebody for his religious belief,” he said. “If the people do not agree with it, they do not agree with it.” The aspiring Vice President noted that they will let the electorate decide if Pacquiao is worthy of their support.
Meanwhile, according to VP Binay, the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) finds no reason to drop Pacquiao from their senatorial slate and even noted that Manny already asked for apology.
Aside from VP Binay UNA President Rep. Toby Tiangco also added that their party UNA will also support the LGBT community and push for the anti-discrimination bill.
