Posted by Sabrina B. @gametimegirl

Pacquiao generated more headlines than most in the debate this week as he took on a leadership role in the Catholic Church’s long and determined campaign to destroy the bill, which would see the state give condoms to the poor.

“God said, ‘Go out and multiply.’ He did not say, just have two or three kids,” Pacquiao said following a meeting with bishops on Tuesday, shortly after returning from Las Vegas and his latest boxing victory over Shane Mosley.

Pacquiao followed up on Wednesday by taking the floor of the House of Representatives to question the architect of the bill in a feisty debate that captivated the country, with excerpts broadcast repeatedly on news channels.

Lifting the mood initially, Edcel Lagman, the minority leader of the house and a veteran legislator, told Pacquiao he was: “Ready to rumble,” eliciting a big smile from the world champion and laughter from colleagues in the chamber.

Wearing a grey suit with a bright-red tie, Pacquiao then appeared initially uneasy against Lagman and critics accused him of showing little political savvy in the debate, but he refused to take a backward step.

“I heard… the bill is not a magic wand that will end the suffering in our country. If so, why don’t we draft a bill that will solve all the suffering of the country… rather than (this) bill which I find so divisive,” he said.

Pacquiao, 32, who famously rose up from deep poverty to become a world boxing champion, has long harboured political ambitions and was elected to parliament last year after an unsuccessful initial attempt in 2007 elections.

However he had largely stayed out of the political spotlight until this week, instead pursuing his sporting career by fighting two high-profile and lucrative bouts in the United States since being elected.

Pacquiao’s supporters have lauded his decision to oppose the family planning bill as his first major political fight, saying it has earned him big credits with the Catholic Church, an enormously powerful institution in the country.

WRITTEN BY By Mynardo Macaraig (AFP) & FULL STORY HERE