DAR chief says sorry for brawl

Agrarian Reform Secretary Nasser Pangandaman apologized yesterday for the incident at a golf course in Antipolo City, where his two sons were involved in a brawl.

Pangandaman said his family is ready to face any investigation or charges that would be filed against them by businessman Delfin de la Paz, 56, and his son Bino Lorenzo, 14, who were allegedly beaten up by the secretary’s sons Nasser Jr., mayor of Masiu, Lanao del Sur, and Hussein and their companions during an altercation at the Valley Golf and Country Club last Friday.

This developed as Nasser Jr. claimed that what he did was only in self-defense.

In a radio interview, the young Pangandaman even asserted that he has medical certificates to prove that he suffered injuries from the incident, including a broken finger because the elder De la Paz hit him with a golf club.

“Bilang isang government official ako ay humihingi ng paumanhin sa nangyari. Wala namang may kagustuhan nito (as a government official I am apologizing for what happened. Nobody wanted this to happen),” said the Secretary.

He said that an apparent misunderstanding caused the quarrel.

Pangandaman said that there is an ongoing investigation being undertaken by the Valley Golf Club officials.

He, however, said that his sons are contemplating filing charges of physical injuries against De la Paz.

The secretary said his lawyers are also studying if they can file libel charges against the elder De la Paz for making pronouncements that are not true.

Officials of Valley Golf Club have suspended the Pangandaman and De la Paz families from the club pending investigation into the case.

Secretary Pangandaman said he has been a member of Valley Golf for more than five years. 

Pangandaman said De la Paz and his children started the squabble that eventually led to a brawl.

According to Pangandaman, he decided to invite his family and relatives to play golf last Friday since it was a holiday.

He said his party consisted of eight people, including his two sons Nasser Jr. and Hussein.

The elder Pangandaman said his group were in two flights on the course – the first flight included him while the second flight was composed of his two children and their cousin.

“I was on the first flight and my children and their cousin were on the next, following us. The flight of the De la Paz family came next to them,” said Pangandaman, refuting the claim of De la Paz that his son breached golf etiquette by overtaking them at the South Course of Valley Golf.

“My son JR (Nasser Jr.), who was still waiting for someone, was following us when we teed off. When we reached the third hole, JR joined his flight so he (De la Paz) was not overtaken. It is not true. It’s on record at the Valley Golf,” he said in Filipino.

Pangandaman said that at the height of the argument, De la Paz “attacked” his son with an umbrella, and that the businessman’s children subsequently joined in.

“The De la Pazes ganged up on him (JR),” the secretary said. 

Pangandaman’s buddy blames businessman

Rene Maglanque, a former assistant secretary of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) and a golf mate of the Pangandamans, claimed that the elder De la Paz started the fight.

He said that De la Paz was furious and started a fistfight with Hussein after the businessman thrust the pointed end of his golf umbrella at Nasser Jr., hitting him in the stomach.

Hussein immediately defended his brother.

Maglanque gave his recollection of the Dec. 26 incident in a letter to the membership committee of the Valley Golf Club in a bid to have the incident investigated by the committee.

“We trust that this will pave the (way for an) investigation of the unfortunate incident and that penalty of expulsion be meted against the De la Pazes without prejudice to the appropriate charges to be filed in court,” Maglanque said.

Maglanque said the Pangandamans were grouped into two registered flights, with the first flight made up of himself, the DAR secretary, Arnel Estacio, and Atty. Faisal Abdulah, while the second flight was composed of Hussein Pangandaman, Adnan Pacasum, Nasser Jr., and Farah Locsin. Also registered was Hussein’s eight-year-old son because he could not be left alone in the clubhouse.

Maglanque said that Nasser Jr. and Locsin came late for their golf game, which forced them to catch up with their flight then at Hole 4, accompanied by a marshal and their caddies on two golf carts, in the process overtaking the De la Paz group.

After an outburst of protest from the elder De la Paz, Maglanque said Nasser Jr. immediately explained that they were just catching up with their flight and that they were registered to join the flight.

He said to their surprise, golf balls coming from the De la Paz group started landing in their direction.

Maglanque said the wayward golf balls forced them to have the young son of Hussein stay in one of the golf carts to avoid getting hit.

He said that the De la Pazes were hitting golf balls without shouting “Fore!”

Later at Hole No. 5, Maglanque said a marshal had come up to them, saying that De la Paz was persisting in his complaint about them cutting in on them despite the explanation of Nasser Jr.

Maglanque said that it was the elder De la Paz who went to them to confront them about the matter.

He said that at that point, De la Paz was already shouting angrily and even hurled a curse at Nasser Jr., who at that point still tried to keep his temper and reason calmly with De la Paz.

After the umbrella-poking incident, Maglanque said De la Paz punched Hussein, thus starting a fistfight.

Maglanque said that during the fight, the De la Paz children Bino and 18-year-old Bambi tried to hold back Hussein while trying to make it appear that they were stopping the fight.

He said Secretary Pangandaman and other golfers from other flights stopped the fight. When this fight was broken up, Maglanque said Delfin was heard making a call and ordering people to go to the club.

Maglanque claimed that the second confrontation at the clubhouse started when the elder De la Paz again confronted Hussein to issue a threat to be careful and that he would try to get revenge.

Cops set raps against Nasser Jr. and company

Police are preparing physical injuries and child abuse charges against Nasser Jr. and five others over the Valley Golf mauling incident.

Senior Superintendent Ireneo Dordas, Rizal police director, said the elder De la Paz and his son Bino Lorenzo are consulting their lawyers to determine whether they would include Secretary Pangandaman in the charge sheet.

Dordas explained that the police have a witness showing that Secretary Pangandaman was at the Valley Golf and Country Club when the mauling incident happened.

In a two-page spot report dated Dec. 28, Dordas identified Secretary Pangandaman as one of the seven suspects in the mauling incident.

The others were Nasser Jr., Faisal Abdulala, Muhammed Hussein, Abdan Pacasuna, Rene Maglanque, Arnel Astacio, and Angel, who is apparently the 8-year-old son of Hussein Pangandaman.

Southern Tagalog police director Chief Superintendent Perfecto Palad said they are waiting for the prosecutor at the Rizal prosecutor’s office to report for duty to file the charges against Nasser Jr. and his companions.

“The case is ready for filing. The problem is there is no prosecutor reporting for work because of the long holidays,” said Palad in an interview.

Palad said a misunderstanding triggered the incident over a golf game, which ended in the brutal mauling of De la Paz and his son by the suspects.

De la Paz’s daughter Bambi, who was also playing with the two victims, witnessed the incident.

Bambi de la Paz airs side in her blog

De la Paz’s daughter Bambi narrated in her blog how the mauling of her father and brother started.

“My brother and I were playing golf at the South Course of Valley. We were on the 3rd hole, and we see two golf carts going past us, overtaking our flight, and setting up to tee off on the next hole. My dad goes up to them and asks them why they would do that, why they would overtake us without even asking for our permission. Golf etiquette 101,” she said.

She said one of the guys said that they’re with the flight in front of us. (So what? That doesn’t give them the right to just pass us WITHOUT asking.) So, we go to the 5th hole. The flight behind us catches up with us, and asks us what caused the hold up. We said that this flight just slipped in front of our flight. So we complained to the marshal. We play the 5th hole and walk towards the next hole, where there is a tee house, and both the flights in front of us were there, talking with the marshal.

“The mayor of Masiu City, Lanao del Sur talks with my dad. Things get heated up. Voices were raised. He attacks my father. His flight mates, maybe 2 or 3 of them, rush to his aid and beat up my father. My younger brother pleads to the mayor to please stop it. The mayor socks him in the face. My brother defended himself. My dad is still on the ground getting clobbered.”

She added: “Someone breaks up the fight. I thought it was all over. The mayor shouts to his caddy: “Hindi nila kami kilala! Sabihin mo nga sa kanila kung sino ako (They don’t know us. Tell them who I am).”

Meanwhile, Sen. Francis Pangilinan called on Secretary Pangandaman not to intervene in the investigation of the mauling incident at Valley Golf.

“A Cabinet secretary of the Arroyo government speaking on behalf of those accused, even if they are his children, can duly influence the course of the ongoing investigation. In the interest of having an impartial investigation on the incident, I advise Sec. Pangandaman to refrain from issuing statements defending his sons. Let the accused, one of which is a mayor of Masiu, Lanao del Sur, defend themselves,” Pangilinan said.

Meanwhile, Presidential Adviser for the Peace Process Secretary Hermogenes Esperon Jr. said Secretary Pangandaman would still be part of the government negotiating panel with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. - With Rainier Allan Ronda, Non Alquitran, Christina Mendez, Paolo Romero