By Erwin Lastimosa
I believe in freedom of speech, but I don’t believe in fabrication and slyly making it appear that someone said something they did not. That is the case when a writer for the Conservative writer for the Examiner named Granville Ampong decided to ask boxer/politician Manny Pacquiao about gay marriage and added the quote Leviticus 20:13 “If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads,” from the old testament and Jewish Torah a book Manny Pacquiao who is currently reading the new testament has admittedly never read before.
Pacquiao was recently asked by ABS-CBN’S Dyan Castillejo about the controversial quote, Pacquiao said “I don’t even know that verse from Leviticus because I never read Leviticus.”
Pacquiao added that Granville Ampong “did not even ask me for a verse from the Bible. But if he did I would have given him 1st Corinthians 6:9” which lists down activities including homosexuality that will prevent people from entering the Kingdom of God.
The Examiner writer made it clear in his new article that it was he who added the Leviticus 20:13 verse not Pacquiao, but the damaged was already done and he enjoyed the traffic that came to his article at the expense of Mr. Manny Pacquiao’s popular name:
nowhere in my supposition and integration of my interview with Pacquiao did I mention that Pacquiao recited this Leviticus 20:13 nor did I imply that Pacquiao had quoted such. I have simply reminded in my column how God made it clear in the Old Testament time that such practice of same-sex marriage is detestable and strictly forbidden, in as much as God wants to encourage his people practices that lead to health and happiness and fullness of life. As my style of literary writing suggests in almost all of my columns, the critical thoughts I tied up in the structure of thoughts I wanted to convey pertinent to this issue at hand do not translate Pacquiao’s point of view, however conservative I am in my exposition.
If you go over Ampong’s article it doesn’t sound clear if Manny said that quote or not but associates Pacquiao’s name with the quote, that is how sly the blogger manipulated the reader. Manny is opposed to gay marriage, many Christians are, that is their religious view and their right to believe, but many Christians also believe in loving everyone even the sinners or those born different because that is what Jesus taught, Pacquiao has never ever preached violence against gays. Throughout his entire career he has been very friendly to gay people, he has gay family members, has them working on his TV show, if he were a violent homophobic person would he allow this?
Ampong apparently decided to put his own twist with his favorite old testament quotes in there and used Pacquiao’s name to bring attention to his political article, he also knowingly allowed the article to stay up unedited because it was getting a lot of play across the country and caused controversy in turn helping to promote his anti-gay agenda and his opposition of president Barack Obama’s stance on gay marriage.
And now Ampong is demanding the media apologize to Pacquiao for taking his article out of context? The nerve of this person, instead of taking personal responsibility for his actions which is the true Conservative thing to do, he blames others who were fooled by his misleading article. If anyone owes someone an apology he does, for ruining Manny Pacquiao’s reputation and making it seem like he promoted violence against gays.
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Erwin Lastimosa is a long time boxing fan and enjoys boxing discussion with his peers. Some of his favorite fighters are Sugar Ray Leonard, Roberto Duran, Marvin Hagler, Muhammad Ali, Flash Elorde, Mike Tyson and Manny Pacquiao.