INQUIRER Sports

MANILA, Philippines — Staggered by the political ads successively aired during Manny Pacquiao’s last fight, a militant group on Thursday urged the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and other poll watchdogs to closely monitor the televised commercials that would be shown during Pacquiao’s Nov. 14 clash with Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto.

The Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) also appealed to candidates in the May 2010 elections to be considerate of TV viewers and not swamp them with so-called infomercials during the showing of the bout to be held in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Bayan secretary-general Renato Reyes Jr. said by phone that the showing of political ads veiled as public service announcements during Pacquiao’s fight in May with Ricky Hatton was “one of the worst showcases of politicking.”

Reyes said he was certain that Filipino fans who would watch the Pacquiao-Cotto bout would want “to rest from politics” just for a day.

“We appeal to the candidates to be sensitive to the viewers and not flood us with so [many] political ads,” he said. “Some viewers just want to enjoy the fight and not be irritated or distracted by the deluge of political ads.”

Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, Finance Secretary Margarito Teves, and two other officials—Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. Chair Efraim Genuino and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) Chief Augusto Syjuco—drew fire from Bayan over infomercials shown during the Pacquiao-Hatton fight.

Reyes conceded the Comelec was “powerless” to prevent the showing of political ads before the filing of certificates of candidacies but urged the poll body to monitor the advertisements.

The Comelec could also ask media outlets airing such ads to release a breakdown of the expenses of these politicians and how much their “friends” contributed in the production of such commercials, Reyes said.

This one is staying home

A lawmaker who is a regular ringside spectator in Pacquiao’s fights Thursday said he would forego his trip to the United States to watch the bout and instead devote his time to the victims of the Nov. 2 fire in Bacolod City that killed 17 people.

Bacolod Rep. Monico Puentevella said he would donate the money he would spend for the trip to the fire victims.

Asked how much he usually spends for such trips, Puentevella declined to answer, saying he would compute the amount first.

Puentevella usually watches Pacquiao’s fights at ringside since he also covers the event for Bombo Radyo Philippines.

About 20 lawmakers, including Speaker Prospero Nograles, have flown to the United States presumably to watch the fight.