LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Boxing star and Philippine Senate candidate Manny Pacquiao apologized on Tuesday for saying on Filipino TV that people in gay relationships are “worse than animals.”
“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?”
Animals, he said, were better because they recognize gender differences, and “if you have male-to-male or female-to-female (relationships), then people are worse than animals,” CBS News reported.
Pacquiao, 37, is a current member of the Phillipine House of Representatives. He made the remarks when a journalist asked candidates about their views on same-sex marriage
He issued an apology Tuesday on social media.
“I’m sorry for hurting people by comparing homosexuals to animals,” he said in a Facebook video. “Please forgive me for those I’ve hurt.”
Fellow Filipino celebrities were among those criticizing his remarks. Criticism was also widespread on social media.
Pacquiao was also scrutinized in 2012 and banned from making a scheduled TV appearance at the Grove for allegedly making anti-gay remarks — an accusation he denied.