THE popularity of Manny Pacquiao has dropped in his native Philippines after the 37-year-old made comments claiming people in same-sex marriages are ‘worse than animals.’
As Reuters report, an independent opinion poll conducted by Pulse Asia, which surveyed 1,800 people, shows support for Pacquiao dropped from 46.9% in January to 34.8% in February.
Participants in the survey were not asked the reasoning behind their responses, but it is believed Pacquiao’s comments – which sparked outrage – are the main cause of the dip in his popularity.
Manny is running for a seat in the country’s senate, of which there are 12. The elections take place in May.
Twelve of the top 15 senatorial candidates suffered drops in support but Pacquiao’s 12.1% dip is the largest.
The news comes shortly after one of Pacquiao’s political rivals sought to postpone his April 9 fight with Tim Bradley, alleging that it would grant Manny a significant advantage in the race for the senate due to the amount of media attention it is generating.
