No end in sight for Antipolo golf brawl

MANILA, Philippines -- There’s no end in sight yet on the case of the mauling incident involving the two sons of Agrarian Reform Secretary Nasser Pangandaman Sr. at a golf course in Antipolo City last Dec. 26.

The camp of businessman Delfin de la Paz claimed that negotiations are already ongoing for an amicable settlement of the case, but the Pangandamans said that there are still no negotiations and they would not make the first move.

The De la Pazes deferred the filing of administrative charges against Secretary Pangandaman and his son Mayor Nasser Pangandaman Jr. of Masiu, Lanao del Sur at the Ombudsman yesterday to pave the way for negotiations for an amicable settlement of the criminal charges that both camps have filed against each other.

De la Paz, 56, and his son Bino Lorenzo, 14, filed last Monday two counts of slight physical injuries and three counts of child abuse charges against Mayor Pangandaman, 27, and his brother Mohammed Hussein at the Antipolo City prosecutor’s office.

The Pangandaman brothers in turn filed physical injuries charges against the De la Pazes at the same prosecutor’s office.

The brothers also filed additional charges of grave coercion and light threats against Delfin, Bino, and daughter Bambee de la Paz, and son Bruce de la Paz who arrived in the golf course armed with a baseball bat and Mrs. Maridel de la Paz who was armed with a bladed weapon.

De la Paz’s lawyer Raymond Fortun said his client called early yesterday morning to hold off the filing of grave misconduct charges against Secretary Pangandaman and Nasser Jr. because there is an ongoing negotiation for an out-of-court settlement of the case.

“Please be informed that the De la Paz family is holding off the filing of additional charges while the negotiations for an amicable settlement are ongoing,” said Fortun.

Fortun said they would file administrative charges against Secretary Pangandaman because the Cabinet official “appeared to have uttered words that inflamed his sons in beating up his clients.”

Fortun said they were set to file the additional charges seeking the preventive suspension of Secretary Pangandaman and Nasser Jr. but they did not to push through with their original plan after the call of the elder De la Paz.

“My client called me up and advised me not to file the additional charges after somebody already made contact with them to start negotiations for an amicable settlement. As far as who the emissary was, I have no idea,” said Fortun in an interview.

Fortun said he would be leaving it up to the De la Paz family to discuss the amicable settlement with the emissary of the Pangandaman camp.

Pangandaman’s lawyer Ted Pastrana, however, denied that there are ongoing negotiations for an amicable settlement.

Pastrana stressed that his client would welcome negotiations for an amicable settlement but only as long as the camp of the De la Pazes initiates it.

Pastrana said they are “presently readying libel charges against Bambee” for circulating malicious accusations against his client in her blog on the Internet.

He accused the camp of De la Paz of “double talk.”