Manny Pacquiao

In the middle of the culture wars, it is easy to get lost in the absolutist narrative…

Let’s say you're having a conversation with someone. Perhaps with a friend who has a different perspective from yours. As a...

Whenever I listen to Senator Sotto on the RH Bill, Manny Pacquiao on homosexuality, and the CBCP on pretty much everything,...

An undisputed national hero and distinguished gentleman representative from Sarangani, Manny Pacquiao was staunchly against the RH Bill. He quoted the Bible, and said, in effect, that any attempts to curb reproduction was against the will of his god. While we’re not sure how the personal religious beliefs of this pregnancy-challenged man have to do with us uterus-carrying citizens, people pointed out that his wife Jinkee has admitted to being on the pill. Now he’s bragging that he made his wife Jinkee stop taking pills and have more kids.

I will keep this short and sweet, for I am a man of few words.

This is not about unborn children. This is not about the RH Bill. What we are seeing is a war of attrition against sex, fought one village at a time.

The words behind “Be fruitful and multiply” came out from the human experience and instinct for survival and the enhancement of life; that is the universal context from which one must understand the verse. That should be the basis for reasoning out that the verse is a testament of loving and valuing life. The Church and many of its adherents see the surface about the love and value for (human) life. Unfortunately, they fail to see the message underneath the surface.

Perhaps only the most fundamental of theists actually believe that it was Manny's prayers that got him to win fight after fight from one weight division to another. The moderate theists, on the other hand, probably believe that prayer has at least some bearing on his game, complimenting his hard work and preparation, so if he ever should come face to face with an equally skilled fighter, prayer would tip the balance to his favor.