Philippines News: Pacquiao’s apology, Zika prompts urging to not get pregnant

Manny Pacquiao apologizes for anti-gay statement

Filipino pugilist and political figure, who is greatly loved in his home country and around the world, Manny Pacquiao, found himself apologizing Tuesday after a great deal of backlash over anti-gay statements earlier this week.

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The 37-year-old Pacquiao, a Bible-believing Christian who is running for the Philippines Senate, described homosexuals as “worse than animals”, which was followed by a lot of backlash.

In an interview with local media, Pacquiao said, “It’s common sense. Do you see animals mating with the same sex? Animals are better because they can distinguish male from female.”

This drew criticism from openly gay comedian and extremely popular entertainer, Vice Ganda, who said, “Some people think they can judge people like God just because they’ve attended a prayer meeting and read the bible.

“The Senate needs experts on politics and law, not blind prophets,” Vice Ganda added.

Transgender actor, Aiza Seguerra, called Pacquiao a hypocrite and a bigot and called on voters to boycott the rising political figure.

After the backlash, Pacquiao apologized on Instagram saying, “I’m sorry for comparing homosexuals to animals. Please forgive me for those I’ve hurt.

“I love you all with the love of the Lord. I am praying for you.”

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Zika virus: Health Minister Janet Garin advises women not to get pregnant

Just weeks after El Salvador health officials advised all women of reproductive age to delay pregnancy until 2018 due to concerns about possible birth defects linked to the virus, Philippines health officials urged women to delay pregnancy until more is known about the virus.

Health Minister Janet Garin  advised that those who are not in a hurry to get pregnant may postpone and wait next year when there would be more known about the virus.

Garin said she was also asking Filipinos to avoid Zika-affected countries because “travelers, who contracted the disease abroad, may then transmit the virus sexually to their partners”.