MANILA, Philippines -- Militant groups assailed on Sunday top government officials and legislators who flew to Las Vegas to watch the Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto boxing match.

Alliance of Concerned Teachers national chair Antonio Tinio said "it would have been better if these government officials and politicians had just donated the small fortunes they spent traveling to Las Vegas to typhoon victims."

"They should be aware that there will be a huge public backlash against politicians who will try to bask in Manny's limelight," Tinio warned.

Among those who watched the boxing match in Las Vegas were Vice President Noli de Castro and an undisclosed number of legislators led by House Speaker Prospero Nograles.

Teachers' Dignity Coalition chair Benjo Basas said "while we are supportive of Manny and we pray that he would win again, we denounce government officials and legislators who rushed to Las Vegas to watch the fight, spending lots of money amidst the people's sufferings."

Basas strongly criticized "those who left their posts and the stacks of legislative work undone supposedly to give moral support to Manny whose fights have become national events."

"We ask these supposedly honorable men to get back to work immediately after the bout and pass social legislation that would boost the morale of the Filipino people," Basas told the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Earlier, other left-leaning groups like the League of Filipino Students, Anakbayan and the National Union of Students of the Philippines condemned Las Vegas-bound politicians who they said prioritized their pleasure trip over the concerns of their constituents, many of whom were victims of storm "Ondoy" and typhoon "Pepeng."