The political ads of Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro aired during Sunday's Pacquiao-Hatton match were not appreciated by many viewers, particularly the youth, claimed Kabataan party-list Rep. Raymond “Mong” Palatino.

In the ad, Teodoro, as chief of the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC), discussed what people should do in times of disasters.
 
“It is too bad that our common folks had to bear with numerous commercial ads delaying the broadcast. What was worse was that we had to endure the politicking of some presidential aspirants. Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro's ads were the most aired, mukhang maraming perang pambili ng air time,” he said.

Palatino said a lot of people booed Teodoro's ads in Twitter, a popular social networking site among the yourth.

“They booed the political ads, particularly the one by Secretary Teodoro. Based on what I read on the Internet, it looks like he lost some votes among the netizens. We hope that when if he runs for president, the people will remember what he did,” he added.

The ads were also booed in various bars, where boxing fans gathered to watch the pay-per-view feed of the match.

Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Teodoro Casiño said the incident showed that Teodoro chose not to learn from the negative experience of First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo in 2006.

In the January 2006 boxing match between Pacquiao and Mexican boxer Erik Morales, Arroyo was seen as politicking for climbing up the ring to give Pacquiao a victory hug.

“There were two casualties in the Pacquiao-Hatton match--Hatton and Secretary Teodoro. Where I watched the match, the people were cursing. The public felt insulted. Sabi, 'Pati ba naman dito? Ano ba naman yan?” Casiño said.

“Kulang ng sensitivity. Hindi natuto kay First Gentleman at President Arroyo. Alam nating pag pumasok ang politiko, ang mga tao nagrereact. For someone to defy all advise, it speaks of what kind of a candidate he will be,” he added.

Meanwhile, Palatino said Pacquiao's victory—which was lauded worldwide—is a much needed boost for the Philippines' image abroad.

Pacquiao's sensational knockout win against Hatton made headlines not only in sports publications but also on web sites of mainstream news organizations like New York Times and BBC.

The Philippines' reputation has taken a beating in 2009 as a result of the kidnapping of Red Cross volunteers, and its tag as the second most dangerous country for journalists, among others.

“We thank Manny for giving us a rare opportunity to be proud to be Filipino in the wake of recent events that brought shame to the nation, such as Lance Corporal Smith's acquittal and Jun Lozada's arrest," he said.