Filipino boxing champ and newly elected senator Manny Pacquiao has expressed his support for Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte by backing his call for the restoration of the death penalty, this time by hanging.
The tough-talking Duterte has declared an all-out war against drug and other crime syndicates, urging private citizens with licensed firearms to join the fight by effecting citizen's arrest of known crime suspects in their neighbourhood, telling them they could shoot if the suspects resist arrest.
Since Duterte assumed power on June 30, there have been daily reports of summary killings of presumed crime suspects in various parts of the country.
Human rights activists have cried foul over Duterte's leadership style, which they are blaming for the rash of extrajudicial killings.
However, Duterte continues to enjoy popular support with Pacquiao being one of his supporters.
The Christian boxer agrees with Duterte's plan to reinstate the death penalty for heinous crimes, including his plan to hang death convicts.
Pacquiao says it is actually more "humane" to hang criminals even though some people might consider that method of execution as barbaric or cruel, according to GMA News.
Pacquiao says crimes should not be covered up and that every person who commits it – even those in high government positions – should face the consequences of their crimes.
Pacquiao says the death penalty should be imposed on those who commit heinous crimes such as rape with murder, drug trafficking, kidnap for ransom, and robbery with murder.
The eighth-time world boxing champion is known for his controversial remarks. Prior to his support for the death penalty by hanging, Pacquiao upset the LGBT community when he called gay couples as "worse than animals."
"It's common sense. Will you see any animals where male is to male and female is to female?" he said during an interview with TV 5. "The animals are better. They know how to distinguish male from female. If we approve [of] male on male, female on female, then man is worse than animals."
Pacquiao later backtracked on his comments and said he did not intend to condemn the LGBT community. "I'm sorry for hurting people by comparing homosexuals to animals. Please forgive me for those I've hurt. I still stand on my belief that I'm against same sex marriage because of what the Bible says, but I'm not condemning LGBT. I love you all with the love of the Lord. God Bless you all and I'm praying for you," he posted on his Facebook page sometime ago.
