At that point, it's equally easy to install a stack like haproxy + varnish + nginx + a bunch of CPAN modules as it is to rsync over a bunch of .php files, and therefore "it's easier to deploy" is meaningless. You click a button.
Not to pick on you specifically, but one argument that comes up quite frequently, especially in PHP vs. X discussions, is "I don't see how xxx feature of other language is beneficial." Well, the reason you "don't see" that is because you simply don't have enough experience yet. Deployment is the same way; a lot of people get by for years without ever "doing it right". But that doesn't mean the wrong way is right, it just means you haven't been required to get deployment right yet.
