Where are you getting the notion that unit tests and parameterized SQL are difficult or not commonly used in PHP?

You don't have to use those things, but they are there if you want them, just like they are in other languages. Neither Python nor Ruby enforce unit test or parameterized SQL requirements.

I don't like the language itself, but I do like the myriad benefits it brings. The only pet language I hold to a different standard is Perl.