Manny Pacquiao

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Only God knows that. He is the only one who knows. He is only one who will know. And he is the only one who does know.
—Manny Pacquiao,[1] spokesperson for the Department of Redundancy Department.

Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao Sr. (local pronunciation: [pɐkˈjaʊ]; (1978–) is a Filipino politician and former professional boxer. Nicknamed Pac-Man,[note 1] he rose from poverty to become the only eight-division world champion in the history of boxing, has won twelve major world titles, is the only boxer to win world championships across four decades (1990s, 2000s, 2010s, and 2020s), and has taken on a Barbie-level laundry list of side careers from acting to being a basketball coach among other things. Pacquiao entered politics well into his boxing career in 2010, when he was elected as the representative of the Province of Sarangani and was later elected as a senator in 2016, juggling between his duties as a politician and as a boxer (though given his numerous absences from the Philippine legislature, he leaned more towards the latter). Pacquiao retired from boxing in 2022 in a bid to further pursue his political ambitions, and unsuccessfully ran as presidential candidate in the 2022 Philippine presidential election.Wikipedia

Much as how Scientology took Tom Cruise's life for the worse, Pacquiao's life is a tragic tale of how an otherwise skilled and talented boxer has gone completely batshit insane through being swayed into religious fanaticism and zealotry, as well as fiendish crooks within the Philippine sociopolitical elite puppeteering him into less-than-noble pursuits such as politics.

Descent to fundieness[edit]

Originally raised as Roman Catholic (his equally eccentric, nouveau riche mother Dionesia Pacquiao being a devout parishioner for one), Pacquiao converted to Evangelical Protestantism in the early 2010s, claiming that he had a vision where he saw a pair of angels and heard the voice of God, leading him to engage in Bible studies and wean off of his vices. While it did convince him to turn over a new leaf and to exhibit a more humble public image compared to his fellow prizefighter colleagues such as Floyd Mayweather Jr.Wikipedia (who was reviled even by his African-American compatriots notably after his bout with Pacquiao[2] especially in light of Mayweather's domestic violence controversies[3]), Pacquiao's turn to born-again Christianity nevertheless raised eyebrows especially in light of his outspokenness and zeal towards his newfound ideology, particularly the conflict between Christian aversion to violence[note 2] and the gladiatorial nature of combat sports,[5] as well as his sociopolitical views. Some have slyly joked that the numerous blows to his head during his boxing career may have either accounted for the delusion vision or otherwise driven him into making bombastic statements regarding his religious views.

A Pharisee in the Senate[edit]

Pacquiao's biblical zealotry even in his political career garnered scrutiny from some commentators and groups. In an opinion piece for Sun Star, columnist Rhoderick Abellanosa argued that Pacquiao went beyond his job description over his use of scripture as his rationale for proposing the reinstatement of the death penalty, all because he believes the Bible told him so. Never mind the fact that while Filipino religious leaders can and do have a significant sway on national politics, the country is still established under secular principles and thus religious and morality-based arguments "belongs to the pulpit and not in the legislative chamber."[6]

Homosexuals are "worse than animals"[edit]

As a Christian, same-sex marriage is not allowed. Woman was made for man, man was made for woman. For me, it’s common sense. Will you see any animals where male is to male and female is to female? The animals are better. They know how to distinguish, male or female. If we approve male on male, female on female, then man is worse than animal. Right? Even among animals… those of the same sex are not allowed to lie together. But I’m not condemning them. Just the marriage, the committing of sin against God.
—Pacquiao on same-sex marriage[7]

Pacquiao generated furor in 2016 when he made a statement in Tagalog about his views on same-sex marriage, opining that those who have engaged in it are "worse than animals". Unsurprisingly, this did not sit well with the LGBTQ+ community, especially in his native Philippines, where prominent local LGBT celebrities — namely Vice Ganda,Wikipedia Ice SeguerraWikipedia and Boy AbundaWikipedia – took umbrage and and condemned his statements,[8] with Vice Ganda pointing out the boxer's hypocrisy by way of his previous extramarital affairs.[9], as well as with Filipino-American former professional wrestler Dave "Batista" BautistaWikipedia lashing out at Pacquiao[10] and having his tattoo depicting Pacquiao covered up out of disgust over the boxer's sociopolitical views.[11] Pacquiao was initially defiant and continued his show of force as a Bible thumper, citing 1 Corinthians 6:9, but later back-pedalled and issued an apology, though he still reaffirmed his stance and argued that same-sex marriage is contrary to biblical teaching.[12]

Pacquiao's comparisons with homosexuals to animals is not factual: homosexual behavior is widespread among mammal and bird species.[13] His statements were also condemned by some as a form of cherry-picking and an ad hominem attack towards those whom he does not agree with, particularly with the phrase "but I’m not condemning them. Just the marriage" contradicting with "worse than animals".[14] As a result of the scandal, sports apparel company Nike dropped him as an endorser,[15] and Pacquiao was also banned from entering The GroveWikipedia in Los Angeles.[16]

However, Pacquiao's opposition to same-sex marriage is par for the course in the Philippines, whose population is predominantly religiously conservative; while public opinion towards LGBT rights have become increasingly positive in recent years as evidenced by growing participation in pride parades and other LGBTQ+-centric events, as well as the likes of Vice Ganda through television programmes such as It's Showtime actively promoting and advancing causes in favour of the LGBTQ+ community, the Catholic Church's influence and vehement opposition towards progressive policies served as a barrier for LGBTQ+ groups to be accepted by society.[17] It is even worse in Mindanao where Muslim-majority communities have an even dimmer opinion on those whom they view as "sexual deviants" and "perverts", sometimes even advocating violence against them.[18] Interestingly though, the various precolonial tribes of the Philippine islands did have a far more accepting stance towards homosexuality prior to Islam and Christianity being introduced to the natives.[19]

On raising his family[edit]

In an interview with Boy Abunda,Wikipedia Pacquiao's wife Jinkee recalls having used a stick with a Bible verse inscribed on it when administering corporal punishment on their children.[20] Besides the obvious controversies regarding the practice of spanking one's offspring (though it remains legal in the Philippines), the idea of putting a Bible verse on a cane does reek of undue religious indoctrination especially given the Pacquiaos' born-again ideology.

The matter of life and death[edit]

Pacquiao has voiced his vehement opposition against abortion, even in cases of rape victims who were impregnated against their will.[21] Perhaps paradoxically, he also initially voiced his support for the death penalty,[22] but later took a step back from it when he stated in an interview that judicial reform should be implemented first before capital punishment is reinstated. Pacquiao was previously criticised by local Catholic Church authorities for using the scripture to advance his death penalty agenda.[23]

(An attempt at) knocking some sense into him?[edit]

Sleeping on the job.

In what is perhaps one of the lowest points in his career, Pacquiao suffered a humiliating defeat in 2012 when Juan Manuel MarquezWikipedia knocked Pacquiao out on the sixth round, landing face-first onto the canvas after receiving a right hand to his mouth.[24] Pacquiao's defeat became something of a cause célèbre for Catholic apologists who questioned his sudden religious conversion, particularly when he gave up on his previous practice of carrying the rosary and making the sign of the cross before a fight.[25][26] Dionesia also launched a similarly heated and bombastic tirade against "those Protestant pastors" whom she perceived as having corrupted her son's faith through incessant Bible study sessions that she believes has affected his career.[27] Pacquiao later pleaded his critics to leave religious matters out of what had happened, maintaining that his defeat had nothing to do with his switch to evangelicalism.[28] To Pacquiao's credit, he did win a few more bouts since then, scoring a knockout against Lucas MatthysseWikipedia, his first in over eight years.[29]

As if that wasn't enough...[edit]

If one nutter like Pacquiao isn't enough entertainment for you, some wingnut blogger took to his webshite to shoehorn the boxer into the ever-expanding Illuminati lore, particularly the so-called 201 New gematria conspiracy for some reason.[30]

Notes[edit]

  1. not to be confused with the other Pac-ManWikipedia, though he did deny that his nickname was derived from the Namco mascot, but rather as a contraction of his surname and first name
  2. Not that Jesus himself lacked any sort of violent tendencies,[4] mind you.

References[edit]

  1. Pacquiao-Hatton worthy of grand setting (Mar 31, 2009) Yahoo Sports.
  2. Mayweather beats Pacquiao but will never have victory he wants the most
  3. Floyd Mayweather has a disturbing history of domestic violence
  4. Jesus, the man of violence by Miguel De La Torre (June 23, 2016) Baptist News Global.
  5. Watson, N. J., & Bolt, B. (2015). Mixed martial arts and Christianity:'where feet, fist and faith collide'. The conversation.
  6. Abellanosa: A critique of biblical Pacquiao
  7. Christopher Devine, Manny Pacquiao sparks anger with same-sex marriage comments. The Sporting News, 16 February 2016.
  8. Vice Ganda tells Manny Pacquiao: Make sure we won't see you in hell
  9. Vice Ganda throws jabs at 'false prophet' Pacquiao. ABS-CBN News. Retrieved on 25 June 2022.
  10. Dave Bautista: 'Pacquiao's An F'ing Idiot' My Mom's Gay, I'm Extremely Offended
  11. Dave Bautista had Manny Pacquiao tattoo covered up after his 'anti-gay statements'
  12. Manny Pacquiao Apologizes For 'Comparing Homosexuals To Animals'
  13. Biological Exuberance: Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity by Bruce Bagemihl (1999) St. Martin's Press. ISBN 096588001X.
  14. A Missive to Bible Cherry Pickers
  15. Nike Drops Manny Pacquiao After His Anti-Gay Outburst
  16. Manny Pacquiao once again banned from The Grove over gay remarks
  17. "Power of the Catholic Church slipping in Philippines". Christian Science Monitor. March 6, 2013. ISSN 0882-7729. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
  18. Scott Siraj al-Haqq Kugle, Homosexuality in Islam (India: Oneworld Publications, 2010)
  19. Salazar, Zeus (1999). Bagong kasaysayan: Ang babaylan sa kasaysayan ng Pilipinas. Philippines: Palimbang Kalawakan. pp. 2–7.
  20. The Interviews Of The Wives And Children Of The 2022 Presidential Candidates: Pacquiao
  21. Pacquiao maintains stance vs abortion, even in rape cases
  22. Pacquiao: Gov’t ‘biblically’ allowed to impose death penalty on heinous crimes
  23. From being a staunch supporter of death penalty, Pacquiao says 'Not now'
  24. Prithingar, Keerthi (December 8, 2012). "Pacquaio knocked out by Juan Manuel Marquez". The Guardian.
  25. The Catholic Faith and Manny Pacquiao
  26. Manny Pacqiuao Abandoned His Religion, Rosary, and Sign of the Cross Lost the Fight Big Time against Juan Maquez December 8, 2012
  27. Manny Pacquiao's mom blames loss on switching religion
  28. Leave religion out of this, pleads Pacquiao as debate over 'new faith' simmers back home
  29. Manny Pacquiao tops Lucas Matthysse via 7th-round TKO
  30. The 201 List