…And About Manny Pacquiao

Recently, we have been dismayed by comments by a certain Filipino boxer and his criticism of Barack Obama’s pro gay marriage stance.

Fortunately, he’s not the only Filipino who matters.

In a 2009 Reuters article, Arnold Pamplona, then president of the Philippine American Bar Association said this about gay marriage:

“That wasn’t something we were going to touch, because being Filipino American, a great majority of our members are Roman Catholic,” he said.

Gay groups lobbied hard and said past discrimination against the Filipino community was similar to what gays faced, eventually closing the deal on an endorsement from the group — and many other ethnic bar associations and alliances.

“Until not too long ago it was illegal for Filipinos and whites to marry, and a lot of our board members are married to Caucasians,” Pamplona said.

So, Manny, though you’re entitled to your opinion, please respect our rights. Sige, kuya?(ok, bro?)  In the spirit of understanding, we’d like to reach out to our kaibigan to dialogue about this matter.  Feel free to contact us through our website:   www.apiequalityla.org.