Philippine troops take a break to watch Manny Pacquiao

Manila: Philippine troops took a break to watch Manny Pacquiao defend his WBO welterweight title against Joshua Clottey on Sunday, and are hoping rebel forces will be doing the same.

Pacquiao, widely regarded as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, beat the Ghanian by unanimous decision in the bout in Dallas, Texas.

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"Our soldiers are getting a break to watch Pacquiao's fight against Clottey in Dallas, but we’re hoping our enemies are just doing the same," Major-General Gaudencio Pangilinan, the military's chief of operations, told reporters.

"We'll be back on our jobs as soon as the fight is over," Pangilinan said.