Gay and lesbian groups have urged voters in the Philippines to boycott eight-time boxing champion Manny Pacquiao in the elections this May, in protest against his remarks describing homosexuals as “worse than animals”. A petition on change.org, which calls for global sportswear company Nike to drop Pacquiao as an endorser, has already been signed by more than 2,000 people. Twitter hashtags against Pacquiao, such as #NoToManny2016, #zerovoteformanny and #WorseThanAnimals also began trending on Wednesday.

Pacquiao made the controversial statement in an interview with a local television broadcaster earlier this week. While he issued an apology after his remarks drew severe criticism, he maintained that he was still against gay marriages. The 37-year-old is campaigning for the elections as a conservative Catholic politician. Gay marriage is not permitted in the Philippines, as the Catholic Church strongly opposes it. As much as 80% of the country's population subscribes to the faith.