Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power. — Abraham Lincoln
In power, we know a man’s character, and this weekend we saw just how much character some politicians and government officials have. As news erupted of the mauling that occurred at a golf course involving DAR Secretary Nasser Pangandaman Sr. and his son Nasser Pangandaman Jr., the mayor of Masui, Lanao Del Sur, we again are witnessing, in real time, the propensity of those in power to lead lives of arrogance and entitlement.
In the days that have passed, we have seen another outcry by the blogosphere to rise up and extend their support, showing their collective indignation against DAR Secretary Nasser Pangandaman and his son, Nasser Pangandaman Jr.
The anger is warranted, apt, and needed because government is a call to service not a call to trample on the very people you serve.
How in the world are The Filipino people supposed to react to such violence coming from our politicians? Who made kings out of The Pangandamans? The people will finally see, the sick and twisted leaders for what they truly are, a bunch of thugs in disguise. High positions in society will never cover up the stench of barbarians, they are among us, oftentimes in high places, but incidents such as this show them for what they truly are.
And so, we do not plead, nay, we demand, the wannabe king and prince, that they resign, they resign not with honor, nor dignity,but with shame. The resignation is a demand! The Filipino people do not deserve such arrogance in public servants.
The road to salvation for some has ended, not because it cannot be attained, but because for some, it is no longer a choice, a reality, nor a priority. They just don’t need it. When power overtakes and a public servant concedes to the will of arrogance, there can no longer be service to the people, but only service to self.
When human dignity no longer counts, it is not the will of the oppressed that dies, but the death of true public service.
FOCUSING ON THE ISSUE
Throw away all the analytical thinking into this, and consider not the class warfare that is brewing with this incident, but instead focus on right or wrong.
Sometimes it can be black and white, and in this specific nightmarish situation experienced by The Dela Paz’s, a wrong was done, hurt was inflicted, and the arrogance of one family and a group of thugs came out into the open. The issue is the arrogance of a political family.
The issue at hand: A beat up family, a father and son, mauled, by a powerful family. The issue. Political arrogance of The Pangandamans that lead to a brutal beat down of someone who they seem to think are lower than them.
CONFLICTING STORIES? The Burden of Responsibility
And now the spinning of the story will start, from the camp of The Pangandamans, they will say that the incident started with Dela Paz’s and was an escalation that emanated from the provocation that came because of the rude and billegerant nature of both Father and Son Dela Paz.
And it seems, this is the official story, as it has been reiterated by Nasser Pangandaman Jr., in an interview as well.
Here’s the contention, if this is their sorry excuse, then tell us, Dela Paz’s provoke with words, and an umbrella? In one corner is a 56 year old father, a 14 year old boy, and an 18 year old girl? While on The Pangandaman’s side, is a whole posse?
And because The Pangandamans have a right to defend themselves, they come back with goons and guns? They knock a 56 year old man senseless, and do the same to his 14 year old son, and all in front of the daughter? The excuses have been coming in, but let us wonder and ask ourselves, where were these excuses in the first 24 to 48 hours of the incident?
Bambee Dela Paz blogged about it within hours, The Dela Paz’s filed a complaint, and there was video of all of this. Now, where were The Pangandamans? I’ll tell you where. Probably with lawyers, making their fantastic story sound as credible as it could.
And The Pangandaman’s are adding insult to injury by stating that Mother Dela Paz came to the rescue in a duster and a bladed weapon?
The contention is there, but we have to ask ourselves. The escalation could have easily been stopped, considering that these Pangandamans, including the gold course itself, had enough capacity to bring this escalation to a halt, but it did not stop.
With so many officials around, with so many bodyguards, the weight of the “brawl” was in The Pangandamans favor. With so many officials around, this could have been stopped. Could have, but wasn’t. And this is the crux of the entire argument, in the end, the biggest weight of responsibility goes to The Pangandamans because they had the capacity to cease the entire incident.
In any way we look at it, a 14 year old boy was beat down, and in any society, this must never, ever happen, or be tolerated with.
HUMANITY AND EMPATHY
I say to you my dear readers, humanity means standing up for what is right, despite when knowing that what is wrong can be had at an easier price, when wrongs can be awarded and by doing nothing we assure ourselves a sense of security. But it is a false sense of security, because nothing in life is secure,nature dictates uncertainty, and whether we like it or not, there are only few things we can be proud of and truly say that we have lived a good life, and itis in humanity my dear friends that guages our actions and will be the grade to which how good a life we have lead.
If Bambee and her family have been wronged, we must act upon our own conscience, take up their fight as if it was our own, and in the end, we will know the act of empathy.
Take the lessons learned from this issue, and move to another battle, and in this, we now will be fighting the true war against tyranny and injustice.
But it is hard for anyone to empathize, because for this to happen, we literally have to feel it, as if it is happening to us. We can understand, but to empathize is truly something that needs our deep contemplation. This is why, in the depths of poverty, which many of The Filipinos are in, The Middle Class, whatever we define it to be, sometimes cannot feel the pangs of hunger enough, nor the desperation that comes with it, to truly empathize.
But, being a poor nation, we need not a personal account, but only need to look around us. This is why, the middle class, is so better equipped, to truly it understand what is happening to the marginalized, and to do something about it. Equipped is one thing, but action is another.
The salvation of mankind lies only in making everything the concern of all. — Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn*
And so it is a question of what is close to us, what gives us a sense of purpose, what issues are close to our hearts, indeed, during the Philippine Issues Writing Project, we saw many issues brought to light, not because each one was more important than the other, but because it is our cause, our own personal cross to bear.
We must each have a cause for which we fight for, whether it is the big issue of poverty, or of education, of the issue of human rights, or of specific cases such as The death of Cris Anthony Mendez, the disappearance of Jonas Burgos, the selective murders of journalists, and now The thuggery of The Pangandamans. We must make these issues our own, and in making these issues our own, then and only then can we empathize. The common bond in all of this is injustice. And where there is injustice, we must act, we must be appalled, and we as a people, in the name of humanity are called to action.
We cannot condone such actions, whether it happens to the Dela Paz’s or if it occurs to any ordinary Filipino out there, it is injustice, and the fight against it, that will always dictate our humanity.
In the end, it will always be a struggle for our very humanity. I ask then, what is it in The Filipino People that can sometimes let go of our very own humanity, that we can shrug off other such indecent, criminal, and inhuman acts against our people, and yet we can take notice of this situation. The answer, once again, is that it comes from human nature itself, the innate response of the many to become numb, because too much has been thrown at us, for such a long period of time, that in the end, we have become the slave of our own apathy, responding when eminent danger and plight reaches our doorstep.
The generalizations is just that, however, because beneath all of this supposed human nature, there are many who go against instinct, go against nature, and actually do what is right, what is just, what is expected of them as patriots of their nation, and as citizens of humanity. We call these heroes, and indeed they are, because they fight against the unequal status quo, against the raping of our people’s rights, and of human rights. They can question government, the current thinking, and in all of this, they are willing to sacrifice. The fact is, that the heroes among us are amongst the minority. It is not that our collective humanity has been lost, but that sometimes, it can be selective because of the very reason that goes to the lack of empathy.
Let us raise awareness my dear readers, it is time to realize that apathy has no place in a nation that is determined to get out of its own poverty, we all have a vested interest, and this is just another case where we can make a difference, if we choose to do so.
It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal or acts to improve the lot of others or strives out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a milion different centers of energy and daring those ripples to build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppresision and resistance. — Robert F. Kennedy
Popularity: 1% [?]
The incident strikes a chord in moms like myself. See other posts of mom-bloggers like sassy mom, Dine and Jane and more because a minor child was involved. It is something close to my heart. Yet for others it may not strike the same response. I know of some who blogged days after because they were haunted by their conscience. I have faith in humanity. Some may not blog about this but are spreading the word via email.
exactly!
May i ask a hypothetical:
if the pagdanganan’s apologize personally to the dela paz’s, should the dela paz’s accept and drop the charges? Why?
To the majority of the Filipinos — the 90% who look from the outside INTO the gated communities that Pagdamangans (whatever the hell the way their name is spelled) and the de la Paz’s live (as well as most of us here in FV and in the Pinoy blogosphere), they are both the same.
We debate this topic because we here are all part of that gated community (which is why we see the two camps as different). It’s kind of like when you live in the Philippines and see all white people as the same, and then try living in one of the European countries and realise that Germans are different from Swedes who are different from the French who are different from the Brits.
But for the majority of Pinoys, the de la Pazs and the Pagdamamans (whatever) are part of the same group. A bunch of club-swinging parasites playing on fields of water-guzzling bermuda grass.
That we debate this thing makes us no better than the oligarchs we supposedly detest.
Check out my more REAL take on this small-minded issue here! :D
@Gabby, apologies are made concrete when it is sincere, when made in the backdrop of insincere acts, it becomes a slap in the face.
You can apologize all you want, but when people do not mean what they say, it rings hollow. When The Pangandamans say sorry, and then set out their legal attack dogs to malign The Dela Paz’s, where’s the honor in all of that?
Accept it as it is, public relations, and nothing more
@Benign0,
So, to discuss an issue of civility and human dignity is off limits now? That we should turn a blind eye is the high road here then? Let’s get this straight, a 14 year old boy was beat down by the hands of thugs, I don’t care how many umbrellas The Dela Paz’s supposedly had, it should not be tolerated!
And so, if a majority of Filipinos see them both as parasites, we should just stand still and do nothing? Because this is the reality that makes you happy?
But, that’s assuming that a majority of Filipinos see both families as parasites.. I for one, do not agree with that assertion, but if you want to make it, then so be it.
There are a great number of individuals in that golf course that contribute to a greater society, to lump them all as parasites, is like saying all Expats in Australia have a distorted understanding of Philippine issues.
@Gabby,
As a further note, apologies are always well and good.. but for the longest time, ever since I started blogging, I have emphasized, as I will do once again, that the true end goal should always be accountability..
Too many people say sorry, and then do the same damn thing all over again.. the reason is because they know they can get away with it..
End the cycle, and push for accountability.
I’m saying that if we choose to pay attention to this, then we should be prepared to pay attention to the underlying issues that replicates “injustices” like this across the rest of the obscure majority.
As I said before, this is like whining about the cockroaches scurrying all over your floor even as you neglect taking out the garbage for months.
The most proper thing to do now is not to take any side since there now exist two conflicting stories.
Based on what had been written via the blogosphere, readers then to believe. Based on what had been said on an interview via radio, listening audience then to believe.
Either way, we tend to believe but since radio carries more weight to me, I tend to believe the Pangadamans even without having to take their side as the absolute truth.
This story should now be closed since not one of us is a witness when the ‘crime’ was committed. At the very least, I don’t think it is a ‘crime against humanity’ – not at all.
@Benign0, we are going in circles here.. this merely a reiteration, albeit in your very unique style, of what I have just written..
But, where we differ is that I also see the multitudes out there who are, as you say, doing there part in taking out the garbage..
Highlight the positive, and expand on it, build upon it..
Please re-read the above article and peruse once more, the part of Humanity and Empathy, because in it, we have similarities, but in it, you can see where it seems we may divert..
Happy New Year!
but benigno, human rights violation starts from the top not from the bottom. your cockroaches are the top officials losing values for humanity and to the community they serve, the people
Republic Act 6713: Sec. 4. Norms of Conduct of Public Officials and Employees.
b. Professionalism. – They shall endeavor to discourage wrong perceptions of their roles as dispensers or peddlers of undue patronage.
c. Justness and sincerity. – Public officials shall not discriminate against anyone. They shall at all times respect the rights of others, and shall refrain from doing acts contrary to law, good morals, good customs, public policy, public order, public safety and public interest.
Nick, this presents the other side quite well:
http://www.grabeh.com/news/proof-that-blogging-is-for-the-middle-class-and-elite/
Maybe it’s worth reposting.
BrianB,
I find that article nonsense…
But that’s precisely my point, Nic. There are multitudes. And they are doing so in obscurity.
Note your use of the term multitude. The effort that needs to be highlighted is the collective effort — the kind that results in emergent outcomes that take effect at the systemic levels and therefore benefit the majority.
As I said. If you wanna go after the kind of injustice and stupidity exhibited by these folk, then you have to be prepared to go for the lot down to the smallest thing — the very attitudes, mindsets, and traditions that create these monstrous behaviours.
I picked this up from the article BrianB linked to:
Why not go after reduction of the number and acreage of golf course as well? They are an affront to a society in which a huge chunk of those multitudes you point out do not even have access to safe drinking water?
Remove golf courses and you remove a parasitical sport that feeds assholes’ egos.
Go systemic, boss.
It’s simpler. Really. ;)
confession: getting obsessed with these golfers. The insane viral behavior evinced by bloggers to support the dela Pazes leaves me with a bas taste in my mouth. Their self-righteous enthusiasm, the eager condemnation of the perps and the pride in their rights as citizens to exercise advocacy and enjoy their freedom of speech. So unique in our history. The reason? One of the dela Pazes could write. She narrated very well and expressed her feelings with a minimum of rhetoric and exaggeration. The reaction is understandable. Itr’s a girl, after all, who’s narrating and, after all, the antagonist was a politician, an uncouth provincial and perhaps this is alo rlevant… a muslim. But we have had a few days to think about it.
If you believe pols should take the high road every time an opportunity for physical violence presents itself, I’m with you. If you believe the pols should be fired, I’m with you with some reservation (how would you feel if you were from Masui hearing about your mayor facing administrative action because of a scuffle with a rich Manila family. Muslims don’t much care how old you are, if you fight you fight). What I cannot support is the unfair distribution of a precious luxury like middle class advocacy in favor of one family, who suffered a minimum of trauma frm such a horrible circumstance as meeting politicians head-on, a family, btw, who has the means to protect themselves. I feel this is bad and I believe it is immoral.
I’m telling you Nick, these bloggers will not move to the next issue. Their advocacy stops here. Next time a journalist gets shot or a family man murdered in front of his kids post it on FV. We’ll see if it goes viral. I’m betting you next month’s salary (better yet a month of labor on this blog, moderating spam, checking comments for deletion, etc.) that it won’t.
if anyone wants to kick nasser’s ass…go to this link…
http://www.pictogame.com/en/play/game/3RtxSrwfSiRF_kick-nasser
BrianB: “Next time a journalist gets shot or a family man murdered in front of his kids post it on FV. We’ll see if it goes viral. ”
It won’t. For most middle class bloggers a dead journalist is just someone who experienced the hazards of his chosen profession. Same with activists in the provinces. The reason this incident resonated with a lot of them is because the De La Pazes were just playing golf and got mauled when they encountered this politician and his bodyguards. We’re afraid of something like that happening to us. It’s the same reason a child with terminal illness gets more sympathy than an old person.
Also the timing is perfect. It’s a long vacation we’re all suffering from a surplus of free time. :)
a dead mediaman is a minus-one hipokrito and corrupt…walang pinagiba sa isang patay na politiko…dahil wala silang pinagiba..
politiko-media…puro gulo lang ang nagawa sa bansa sa mga nakalipas na mga taon…
politiko humihingi ng bayad…media humihingi ng bayad…pareho lang..pareho lang..
@brianB- what other actions have you taken other than commenting in blogs that can improve the lives of the Filipinos or even the way bloggers post? I hope you can enlighten us with specific actions on your part so we can be inspired. Do you have a blog post that we can refer to? do you have an organization? or NGO?
Re: RA 6713 or
AN ACT ESTABLISHING A CODE OF CONDUCT AND ETHICAL STANDARDS FOR PUBLIC OFFICIALS AND EMPLOYEES, TO UPHOLD THE TIME-HONORED PRINCIPLE OF PUBLIC OFFICE BEING A PUBLIC TRUST…
Referring to its Section 4, Norms of Conduct of Public Officials and Employees, may have been inappropriate. The Section has an opening statement:
Were the public officials covered by the standards set forth in Section 4 of The Code (RA 6713) during their golf game? Were they discharging and executing their official duties then? Was the de la Paz Family their constituents?
Brian aptly said it:
I am also of the same belief.
Probably it’s Section 2 that is more fitting:
The implementing rules also repeats Section 2.
On the other hand, if the entire Code is really not applicable, then Nick’s Power and Humanity dissertation actually is suitable for the problem at hand.
—–
It’s a “she said-he said” thing here. Truth shall set both parties free. Next time around, let’s hope the ideal behavior, especially among privileged individuals, should be observed. Let’s hope as well that we won’t be bothered by such an altercation going into violent confrontation when all the while it could have been prevented considering everyone’s on a cheerful “holiday mode.”
…But, then again, what is ideal is not at all times being practiced. Even an individual checking others for normal/ethical behavior when he himself has forgotten proper decorum…sad to say…could sometimes happen.
“Juwan_D – a dead mediaman is a minus-one hipokrito and corrupt…walang pinagiba sa isang patay na politiko…dahil wala silang pinagiba..
politiko-media…puro gulo lang ang nagawa sa bansa sa mga nakalipas na mga taon…
politiko humihingi ng bayad…media humihingi ng bayad…pareho lang..pareho lang..”
Ang galing mo naman.. Kanino mo ba narinig yan? Why don’t you name names? Palibhasa narinig mo lang sa lola mo, na narinig nya sa kpitbahay, na nabasa ng kapitbahay sa tabloids eh ni lumps-sum mo na lahat. Ang galing mo naman.
Alam mo may tawag ako sa mga ganung tao..Bigyan kita ng hint..nagsisimulasa capital(T)…hehehehe. gets mo?
Come one noemi, you’re better than that. Though I don’t believe in charity per se (I believe in giving freedom and equality), I think I have done what I can, in my own little way. But why itemize them? It’s against good the Bible, bragging about the charities you’ve done. I also never do it out of charitable heart. I do it thinking it’s just a stop-gap for poor governance and poor ethical behavior among my peers.
“@brianB- what other actions have you taken other than commenting in blogs that can improve the lives of the Filipinos or even the way bloggers post? I hope you can enlighten us with specific actions on your part so we can be inspired. Do you have a blog post that we can refer to? do you have an organization? or NGO?”
@brianB- I don’t mean bragging what you have done to the less fortunate. I don’t believe in bragging either. More of tips that you can share. maybe you can write just one blog post so we can read about your points and link to it. It’s scattered all around different blog comments. You have valid points which may be hidden amidst the din.
here is the ultimate aray for the de la pazes:
this is the post of a certain rge in pinoygolfer.com forum. he is a member since april 2007 with 595 posts to date (he is a pioneer member i supposed, as the forum started only in end of march 2007) he placed his address as valley golf, orchard, eagle ridge so i suppoed he is personally known to many others in the philippine golfing community and is a “somebody” given his access to information sources. his preliminary statement said it all.
http://www.pinoygolfer.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5801&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=pangandaman&start=180
I just spent some time with the head of the fact-finding committee. He has submitted all pertinent facts to the board and leaves it to them to make the necessary decision based on all the facts. I will outline the facts to you as it was outlined to me. Rest assured that the facts were obtained from all parties involved and all witnesses at each incident site. The statements were obtained both by the valley fact-finding group and by the NBI as well. Testimonies were recorded, verified, and re-verified. Fortunately for the parties involved, there were always witnesses to give supporting statements on the events as they occurred.
I will compose the outline shortly as it will be lengthy but just to whet your appetite or get you thinking, you will be quite surprised with the findings. Let’s put it this way, the people we thought of as villains weren’t quite what they were depicted to be. and the supposed protagonists may have yet been quite as factual in their testimony as it turns out to be. Even our 14-year old isn’t as innocent and “prayerful” when all the details come out. just give me a few minutes….
In the interest of making sure that no facts might be left undisclosed, I will take it upon myself to start from the very beginning. Firstly let us start by saying that on or at about 12:40 p.m., the party of the Pangandaman’s registered at the starter’s area. They registered for 2 flights comprised of 4 individuals per flight. Unfortunately, they still had 2 members of their group that had not yet arrived, so they initially tee’d off as 2 successive threesomes. The starter and marshall were informed that the 2 individuals that had not yet arrived would just catch up with them in the fairway. On or at about 1:05 p.m. the Dela Paz group registered initially as a twosome but since this isn’t normally allowed, they registered as a 3-some even if the elder Mr. Dela Paz was not really going to play.
When the Dela Paz 3-some was playing on hole number 3, they were passed by 2 golf carts containing Mayor Pangandaman and his companion (in one cart) and the caddies being brought by one of the starter personnell. The Pangandaman’s did not ask permission to drive through because they did not want to disturb the Dela Paz’s who were in the middle of the fairway. Upon reaching the green of the 3rd hole, Mr. Dela Paz asked the caddie why the people in the cart just went through. Mayor Pangandaman who was already positioned at the 4th hole, personally informed Mr. Dela Paz that they were part of 2 foursomes. At this point, Mr. Dela Paz said “ah okay, courtesy lang naman”. This was verified by the caddies. Mr. Pangandaman said that he did not disturb them anymore because the player was about to hit. At this point, Mayor Pangandaman thought everything was okay so he proceeded to the 4th hole (Par 3) where his other flightmates were. In the records it says that Mr. Pangandaman was not yet even done pitching into the green when a ball landed near his 8-year old child so they immediately made sure the child was secured in the cart. ( For those unaware of the common practice at Valley Golf, on every par 3, the group behind you is signaled to hit into the green once everyone from your group is already on the green) Until you have been cleared to hit by the group ahead, you should not hit into the green. It is common sense and basic precautionary procedure.
In this particular case, we have no corroborative testimony. One set of caddies say they were given clearance, while the other say that no clearance was given as of yet when the ball/s had landed.
The Pangandaman’s claim that the same situation happened in the 5th hole (Par5). Even the caddied confirmed this. At this time, Bambee Dela Paz had called the Marshall to tell him that the flight behind them was complaining about why their pace was slow and that the cause of the delay was the 5-some in front of them. Shortly thereafter, a marshall on his motorcycle appeared and approached the Pangandaman’s and asked if they were playing as a fivesome to which the Mayor said no. “We are 2 foursomes”. Nonetheless, the Pangandaman’s had already agreed among themselves that they would rather the Dela Paz’s play through. The Mayor was even quoted saying to his Father. ” magagaling yung mga bata at malakas pumalo, baka mabagalan sa atin” They informed the marshall that they would just let the Dela Paz group play through and the marshall informed the Mr. Dela Paz of this. ( Just as an aside, the investigative group actually asked the group behind Dela paz if indeed they had complained about the slow down and the group said that the y said no such thing to the Dela paz flight. They were not even in contact at anytime before they arrived at the tee house to see the fight and eventually help stop it) When the Delapaz group reached the green of hole 5, the caddies of the 2 kids gave them their drivers so that they would waste no time playing through. The Mayor, who at that time was sitting along with their companions, stood up to personally tell Mr. Dela Paz to play through. Caddies, and the tee house server claim that the Mayor told Dela Paz na “Mauna na ho kayo” and walked to approach Dela Paz, The response of Dela Paz was “Huwag mo akong pagtaasan ng boses” Dela Paz began to question the Mayor why they were playing as a fivesome. The Mayor said that this was not the case but Dela Paz was insisting and even said (again corroborated by the caddies) “Linoloko mo ba ako?” “Member ka ba dito, Kilala mo ba ako?” (as you can see, this question did not come from Pangandaman. In fact, in the recorded testimony, this is exactly what Pangandaman claimed delapaz had said to him and yet in Delapaz’ recorded statement, he never said that the mayor asked him ” kilala mo ba ako” Completely different from when the media was already involved.
When Delapaz was posing the above question, the mayor was heard to say. “Sandali lang, hindi naman tayo nagaaway dito. Akala ko ba naayos na natin yung issue kanina sa hole 3? At about this point Delapaz closed his umbrella and then poked the mayor on his stomach using the pointed end ( some caddies say Dela Paz swung the umbrella and some say that he poked the Mayor) The investigative board asked Dela Paz what he did, he said that he poked the Mayor in self defense. When asked who was attacking him, Dela Paz said that he was being surrounded by 4 men. The caddies and other witnesses on hand said that when the umbrella incident happened, it was only Dela Paz and the mayor that were talking. The other parties were in the tee house about 15-20 yards away. The Mayor says he was poked and so he backed off and just as he was about to be poked again, his brother, Hussein ran and attacked Delapaz and hit Delapaz knocking him to the ground.( At this point the commotion took place. One of the things observed is 14-year old Bino hit the Mayor with his driver. Apparently, the mayor parried with his forearm and hand so this is where he sustaned the injury. In the process also, Hussein was being pulled off the older dela paz by his 2 children but again Bino was seen to hit Hussein in the face and head while Bambee had scratched the other side of Husseins face. At this time also, witnesses say, that 3 or 4 other members of the flight excluding the Secretary, the 8-year old boy, and the girlfriend of Hussein were involved in attacking or subduing the older dela paz but this lasted very shortly and when the combatants had been separated the existing people in the tee house as well as the new flight that was playing behind the dela paz’s.
At this point the Secretary told the delapaz group to leave so as to avoid any more trouble. As the elder delapaz was leaving he was heard calling someone on his cellphone saying ” may away kami, pumunta kayo dito”
No one knew who delapaz was speaking to as he walked away towards the main clubhouse. A few minutes later, the secretary and his group decided to end the day instead of continuing to play. When they got to the clubhouse, Hussein wanted to wash up because he was bleeding in the neck area. As he got near the reception area, he saw delapaz and was heard to have said “O, nandito pa pala kayo” to which Dela Paz said “Hindi pa tapos ito gaganti pa kami”. At this point, Bino got in between his Dad and Hussein while saying ” Tatandaan ka namin” (None of the witnesses in the clubhouse, and there were many, ever saw Bino kneel and say that he was only 14 years old at maawa na sila) On the contrary, Bino was acting like anything but a helpless child. He sounded tough, angry, and antagonistic enough that the fight broke out again. At this point, the bodyguards of the Mayor ran into the clubhouse via the poolside entrance. When questioned about this, the mayor said that one was his driver and the other was his “Yayo”. As far as the board was concerned, the “Yayo” was also a bodyguard. Said Yayo came into the clubhouse with a clutchbag containing a gun and brought out the gun without pointing it at anyone. The Mayor immediately instructed him that there was no need for guns and the gun was put back. During the investigation, the Mayor said that the handgun was his and that his “yayo” was likely going to give it to him but he declined. Upon instructing his “yayo”, the man just stayed in one corner. At this time the wife of Dela Paz and his other son arrived. The son was wielding a baseball bat and the wife had a knife which she pulled out of a scabbard. These two were subdued by security but they were verbally threatening the Pangandaman’s during this time. There was also a reported incident where the driver of the mayor ran out and came back with a suitcase containing a supposed armalite as claimed by valley security. The driver never pulled it out or pointed it at anyone but it was readily accesible
and here is what the site admin of pinoy golfer.com says about the post of rge:
“Great account of the incident, Ray. My compliments. I heard the same details third-hand from my sources. I agree with the others; Mr. de la Paz was foolish to pick a fight with his children present.
The revelation of these facts cast a severe shadow on the Bambee’s blog, don’t they?”
aray, aray, aray!!!
i wonder what is the next thing that the de la paz apologists will say, now that valley golf expells Dela Paz and only suspends for two years the dar chief.
valley golf concluded that de la paz instigated the fight!