'Biking' priest's blog 'flamed' over anti-Pacquiao comments

MANILA, Philippines — Irate fans of World Boxing Council lightweight champion Emmanuel "Manny" Pacquiao bombarded the blog site of biking priest Amado Picardal, who said last week that Pacquiao should not be considered a hero. Picardal said that while he will not apologize for his statements, he had to moderate the comments section of his blog to limit the entry of nasty comments. "I will not apologize to anyone for expressing my opinion nor will I tolerate any insult or abusive language in this blog (so) I am moderating the comments section," he said in his blog (amadopicardal.blogspot.com). He said he was "amused" with the irate reactions of some of the "Pacquiao fans," saying their comments "reveal what kind of person they are." Besides, he said the Philippines is the only country that considers boxing champions as heroes. Picardal said US heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali "was never considered a hero in the US." "Heroes are not just object(s) of admiration, they are role models. I wouldn't want our little boys to grow up thinking they can become heroes by using their fists and beating up other boys," he said. Picardal's decision stemmed from several comments posted on his blog chiding him for being a cynic. "Shame on you, instead, for being a cynic...in a time when we, Filipinos, have very little to rejoice about, such small victories by our countrymen, whether in boxing or in other fields should be celebrated without cynicism or even criticism," said blogger xzellenz. Xzellenz said that comparing boxing to gladiatorial combat is, "to say the least, baseless, misinformed, and unjust (stupid, if i may add)." "I love the fact that you are voicing out your opinions, but here is what I think — I think before you criticize the sport of boxing, you should first clean your own backyard…the "sins" of boxing are far less than the sins of the Catholic Church… why not blog about those things, eh?" xzellenz added. Another blogger using the name “rag" said, "comments like yours are really uncalled for. and coming from a priest… geesh!" He chided Picardal for his "crab mentatility." Blogger “laruku" defended Picardal, telling his critics to "at least show some respect, you can still voice out your criticism in a very constructive way." Blogger “Fallen Scholar" said offered to pray for Picardal. Picardal, a priest who is also a university professor and academic dean based in the southern city of Davao, became known as the “biking priest" since he started riding long distances on bikes to push his advocacy for peace and good government. - GMANews.TV