Philippine boxing superstar and Senator Manny Pacquiao admitted to the use of illegal drugs in the past. However, he maintained he owed nobody, including his fans and countrymen, an apology.
Proclaimed a national hero, the sportsman is a prestigious supporter of his president’s violent war on drugs. The casualty count from President Rodrigo Duterte’s war presently stands at more the 3,000 fatalities.
In an interview this week, he confessed to using narcotics in his teenaged years.
“I’m not hiding the fact that I sampled those, but I was young, maybe 15 or 16 years old,” he said to reporters. At the moment, Pacquiao undergoes training for his WBO fight against top welterweight Jessie Vargas in Las Vegas on November 5.
He said, “I used marijuana, I used shabu,” even mentioning the types of drugs he used.
Locals dubbed crystal meth stimulant “Shabu”, which also happens to be the primary narcotic choice of roughly 3.7 million Filipino addicts.
The boxer/senator firmly encourages Duterte’s anti-drug campaign. A crusade condemned internationally for assumed extrajudicial killings.
He also endorses the President’s plan to reinstate the death penalty for convicted drug dealers in the predominantly Catholic country.
Not an addict
On his refusal to apologize, he stated, “Why should I say sorry to them? I did nothing wrong.”
“Also, I was not addicted. I just experienced it,” he added when a reporter asked if he turned out as a drug dependent.
Pacquiao said that he came out with his admission and related his experience to inspire drug users. If they surrender to the authorities, they can expect leniency and avoid execution in the crackdown.
It all boils down to pure willpower according to him. He focused on sports to force himself from drug abuse.
“Everyone knows that I drank, I gambled and had many women, but realized these were all sins so I stopped. I’m sure what I did for myself was an inspiration to all.”
“It’s up to the person if he really wants to have a fresh start.”
“God gave all of us a brain to discipline ourselves,” he added further.
The post Philippine Boxing Legend Pacquiao; No Apology For Drug Use appeared first on Newsline.
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