A lawmaker wants Canadian popstar Justin Bieber be declared “persona non grata” in the Philippines for making fun of Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao on photo-sharing service Instagram.
Related story: Pinoys to Pacman: You're still our champ
YACAP party-list Rep. Carol Jane Lopez also made a call to ban Bieber
from holding another concert in the Philippines after claiming the
singer’s offensive photos also “insulted” Filipinos.
“What he
did was out of line. He insulted Filipinos' hero in boxing,” Lopez said,
urging the Filipino youth to boycott Bieber’s songs.
“Even if it wasn’t Manny he was insulting, it’s still unacceptable,” she noted.
Related story: Did Bieber cross the line?
Lopez, a close friend of Pacquiao in the House of Representatives, said
Bieber is an ingrate for posting the offensive photos, knowing he has a
lot of Filipino fans following him on his social media account.
Hordes of Filipino fans went to see his Manila concert at the SM Mall of Asia Concert Grounds in May last year.
“It’s
just right to ban him in the Philippines and boycott his songs. Lots of
Filipinos buy his album and he is going to treat them this way?” the
party-list representative added.
“He needs to know that he insulted someone who is loved by Filipinos,” she noted.
On
Sunday, Mexican boxer Juan Manuel Marquez knocked out Pacquiao just
before the end of the sixth round, during their fourth rematch.
Bieber mocked Pacquiao’s loss to Marquez by posting altered photos showing the defeated Pinoy boxing icon on Instagram.
Related story: Roach wants long rest for Manny
One of the photos showed Pacquiao doing Michael Jackson’s signature leaning dance move.
Lopez
said it was inappropriate for Bieber, a known fan of American boxing
sensation Floyd Mayweather Jr, to take the fighters’ rivalry too
personally.
