Mayor beats up 56-year-old man and 14-year-old boy… SHAME ON HIM.

Reposting this from BA’s blog.

Tsk tsk tsk. That’s all I can say.

This is the epitome of how politics is in the Philippines, and to what extent power is abused. What more if the masses and the poor were involved…

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Blogs are viral. And that’s what one very violent mayor wasn’t aware of.

Yesterday afternoon, the 56 year old father and 14 year old brother of blogger Bambee dela Paz was beaten up by Mayor Nasser Pangandaman Jr., Mayor of Masiu City, Lanao del Sur. And it all started with the mayor violating basic golf etiquette.

It’s a good thing that Bambee decided to blog about it. Because, in the blogosphere, news catches on (and gets reposted) quickly.

Very, very, very quickly.

So Mr. Mayor, say hello to the blogosphere.

Sabi mo, “Hindi nila kami kilala! Sabihin mo nga sa kanila kung sino ako!“(You said, “They don’t know us! Tell them who I am!”)

Wala na, patay na. Kilala ka na naming lahat. (You’re a goner, now we all know who you are.)

Bambee’s entry is quoted in full below. Please, read, write, and spread the news!

Justice, please!

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UPDATE. Related entries snatched from Ade:

Other posts on the issue:

• The World has Gone Crazy by Bambee de la Paz
• Repost of Bambee’s post at Filipino Voices
• Impunity and Golf By Caffeine Sparks
• DAR chief Pangandaman’s son, Mayor Nasser Pangandaman Jr. in Mauling Golfers in Antipolo by Noemi Dado
• Golf, Guns, & Goons : Philippine Golf Horror Story by Joel Chua
• Politicians Beat Up Defenseless Dad, 56, and Son, 14, Over Golf by Shari
• Mayor of Lanao Del Sur Mauls Father and Son by Village Idiot Savant
• DAR Secretary Nasser Pangandaman and Son maul 56-year-old Golfer and 14-year old Kid by Neil Es2pido
• Irony to a Tee by Marck
• Mayor Beats Up 56 Year Old Man and 14 Year Old Boy by BA Racoma
• DAR Chief and Mayor of Masiu City Maul Helpless Dad and 14 yr old Son by Jepoy Bengero
• Politicians are the WORST. Stay away from them by Jen
• Entitlement by Ia Lucero
• A Dampener on the Season by Jonas Diego
• These Bastards Have To Pay by Gerry Alanguilan
• Mayor Nasser Pangandaman Jr. (son of DAR Chief) in Mauling Golfers in Antipolo by Dine Racoma
• Crazy Politicians! by Lalaine
• The World has Always Been Crazy, We Just Don’t Notice It: Mayor Beats Up 56 Year Old Man and 14 Year Old Boy by Ade Magnaye

Plurk Discussion

• Ade’s Plurk
  
• Filipino Voices on Bambee’s post
• Filipino Voices on a comment of clueless middle class
• From Ade on links from blog posts
• Noemi Dado on ANC Report of the Mauling Incident

Traditional Media

• DAR chief, son face complaints for allegedly mauling golfers from ABS CBN
• Gov’t peace negotiator, son face mauling raps from ABS CBN
• Kalihim ni Arroyo inakusahang nanggulpi sa golf course sa Antipolo from Gmanews.tv
• MAG-AMA BINUGBOG NG ANAK NG DAR CHIEF from Abante Tonite

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The world has gone crazy.
Bambee dela Paz

So, I just had the worst day of my life.

At around 1:30 PM today, at Valley Golf and Country Club, Antipolo City, Mayor Nasser Pangandaman, Jr., Mayor of Masiu City, Lanao del Sur, his father, Secretary Nasser Pangandaman of the Department of Agrarian Reform, and company, beat my defenseless 56-year-old dad and my 14-year-old brother to a pulp because of some stupid misunderstanding on the golf course.

This is a golf course. I have been a golfer all my life, and I have never seen anything like this. NOTHING. This is hard to comprehend. And it happened to my own father and my own brother too. Right in front of my eyes.

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. One of the guys says 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 marshall. We play the 5th hole and walk towards the next hole, where there is a teehouse, and both the flights in front of us were there, talking with the marshall. The mayor of Masiu City, Lanao del Sur talks with my dad. Things get heated up. Voices were raised. But never, in my wildest dreams, did I ever imagine that someone would pull out a punch. Apparently not. He attacks my father. His flightmates, maybe 2 or 3 of them, rush to his aid and beat up my father. My 56-year-old father. My younger brother and I could not just watch. We rushed to break the fight. My younger brother pleads to the mayor to please stop it. To not hurt my dad. To just stop. His words still ring through my head…”Sorry na po, sorry na po…tama na…tama na po…” (“I’m sorry, I’m sorry… please stop… please stop…”) With his hands in front of his chest in a praying position. PLEADING. The mayor socks him in the face. My brother defended himself. My dad is still on the ground getting clobbered. My brother is the same way. I try to stop the fight, but all I can do is stop one person. There were 4 or 5 of them attacking now.

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!” (You said, “They don’t know us! Tell them who I am!”)And believe me, I had no idea who this person was. But now I know. He’s the person who, with 4 other men, beat up my 56-year-old father and my 14-year-old brother. He’s the person who sacks a pleading 14-year-old kid in the face. He’s a person who, I am sure, is gonna rot in hell.

I lash out, but my dad held me back. I was screaming my lungs out, shouting to this mayor, telling him about what he had done. I said: “Nakakahiya kayo. Singkwenta’y sais anyos ang tatay ko. And kapatid ko kakatorse anyos. Anong ilalaban nila sayo?” (“Shame on you. My father is 56 years old, and my brother is 14 years old. What do they have to fight against you?”)

The mayor looks at my brother, point to his face, and says, “Tatandaan kita!” (“I’m keeping my eyes on you!”) And he tells me that my brother has a bad attitude and that I need to watch him. WHAT THE HELL?! So, my brother’s bad for defending his father?!

We leave. We walk to the clubhouse to file a complaint. My brother asks for a doctor. My dad could barely walk. Their group comes to the clubhouse, sees my brother. Once again my brother pleads, says sorry, and is crying. He was CRYING, for crissakes. But no. The relentless mayor still punches him in the face, and then sees my dad and goes after my dad again. Him and his friend pull my dad to the ground, pulls at his feet, and steps on him like he’s dirt. I run to him and try to hold him back, holding him back by his shirt, while this other guy and this girl tries to stop me. She tells me to just stop it. I scream in her face “they’re beating my father up and you want me to stop?!” I pull at his shirt–I don’t let go. All I can see was my dad being trampled on. I didn’t even see my brother getting beat up.

People pull them away. I get my dad, and I saw my brother. His right ear was bleeding. I freaked out. I told the receptionists to bring my brother to the clinic. I pull my dad away. People were separating us.

My mom and my older brother come. I tell her Bino’s right ear is bleeding. They both look like they could kill. My dad holds my brother off, I hold off my mom. When I finally got my mom under control, my older brother gets away and I hold him off. Two of the mayor’s bodyguards pull out guns. I embraced my brother from the back, just holding him back, crying. The receptionists came to us, crying, hugging me, my dad, and my mom, whispering to us to just leave. “Maam, umalis na po kayo, may mga baril sila…Maam…umalis na po kayo please…” (“Ma’am, you have to leave, they have guns… Ma’am, you have to leave right away please…”)

I am pretty sure the Secretary of DAR (Department of Agrarian Reform) did not take part in the fight, but he just watched all this happen. He watched two of his sons, as we figured out, the other guy was his son, too, beat up my father and my 14-year-old brother. He didn’t do anything to stop it. And this person is what now? A cabinet member. A politician.

Sounds like something out of a movie, doesn’t it? But this is what happened. TODAY. The day after Christmas. To my family. And all I ask for is JUSTICE. The people at Valley Golf did not seem to want to help us. None of the security guards even tried to stop the fight. Right in the clubhouse. I came back after the fight was over and talked to the receptionists. They say they did not see anything. The general manager of Valley Golf would not give us the names of the men who made my brother’s ear bleed. It took him an hour. Maybe even more than that. He seemed to not want to help us. Because, we were against the SECRETARY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRARIAN REFORM and the MAYOR OF MASIU CITY, LANAO DEL SUR. They were all scared.

The world has gone crazy. Two politicians beat up a defenseless 56-year-old father and his 14-year-old son. At a golf course. I swear to God, I thought golfers were decent people. You would think politicians were decent people. I guess not. I guess they gang up on 56-year-old men and beat up pleading 14-year-old kids.

Please pray for my dad, my brother and for my whole family. Please pray that we get JUSTICE. Oh God, please, give these people what they deserve.

~ by Chachie on December 28, 2008.