My friend Bambee De La Paz sent me a link to her blog entry. It is a very twisted story of violence and grave abuse of position by a politician during a not-so-friendly round of golf in Valley.

Bambee is one of our country's most promising golfers. She currently studies in the University of Cincinnati where she is a scholar in the golf team. Here's a link to her page:

http://gobearcats.cstv.com/sports/w-gol ... bee00.html

On a personal note, in my few times to chat with her, she does strike me as a very smart person and she does write well. Sadly, she witnessed her dad and younger brother being beaten up and defenseless in Valley Golf the day after Christmas.

[url=http://vicissitude-decidido.blogspot.com/2008/12/world-is-fucked-up.html]To view her blog entry, click here.
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For those too lazy to click on the entry, I will reproduce it below.

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Friday, December 26, 2008

The world has gone crazy.
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..." 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!" 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?"

The mayor looks at my brother, point to his face, and says, "Tatandaan kita!" 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..."

I am pretty sure the Secretary of DAR 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.

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I just hope the Pinoygolfers here who are in a position to help can somehow help - perhaps in prayers, or if they have connections or access to higher authorities or to media, or in whatever other means they can do to help. It is really a very unfortunate incident, and definitely will be traumatic for Bambee and her siblings.

Thanks for taking time out to read this.

Here are news articles on the incident:

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/metro ... ty-golfers

http://www.gmanews.tv/story/141418/DAR- ... -2-golfers

I can't believe I'll be the first to comment on this. After a tiring day of playing golf with some friends all I want is to sleep but after reading this, my mind, body and soul is screaming mad!

"Why do we have this kind of people in the government Madame President "

Hope our president who happens to be a golfer read this thread of ours, let's see what's she's going to do with these crazy people na matapang lang kung may baril.

Nakakapanginig ng lamannnnn!!

Sorry guys, I won't be able to sleep if I don't blurt this out.

This is very tragic indeed. But this would turn out to be more tragic if the perpetrators aren't brought to justice.

I hope Bambee and her family are all right. The physical wounds will heal but the emotional and psychological ones will leave deep scars.

I hope they filed a police report and had their injuries properly examined, treated and documented. I recommend They also consult a lawyer in order for them to know their options.

This should also be brought to the club's and its members attention.

Relax lang partner.
Go back to bed with Marian.
Well may mga tao talagang ganyan, mayayabang dahil nasa pwesto. Kakarmahin din yang mga yan.

I hope & pray na hindi grabe ang injury ng Father at Brother mo. I was shocked to read news like this. I'll pray for justice for your family.
Grabe, even sa golf course na pala... people like them doesn't belong to the Golf sport
I hope i will never meet this kind of people on and out the course...

Disgusting.

Bakit nga ba may mga tarantadong Government officials na ganyan?

Reminds me of this tv advert ages ago which says: "Kung ano ang ginagawa ng Matatanda, sya ring gagawin ng mga bata."

Gago yung tatay kaya gago din yung anak

Its a sad day anytime etiquette is thrown out the window in favor of arrogance. And after reading the news articles, I must say that it did not surprise me that the mayor will file a "counter-charge" against Dela Paz' complaint with facts that are, IMO, a twisted version of events.

I just hope that this mayor gets the @$$-whoopin' he deserves. He has no place in the golf course, and to the utter lack of character he has manifested, has no place holding an elective position.

There's a lot more going thru my mind, but it is not fit for print...so I'll just leave it at that.

It is stuff like this happening over and over again that embolden these people and others like them. It's time people stop being scared and stand up as a group (a big group) against people like these. When we make a lot of noise, it is harder for the authorities to turn a blind eye whenever things like these happen.

While I'm sure anyone that would read the above details would be terribly incensed by the alleged behavior of said government officials, it might be prudent that all sides be heard. I say this because the various news releases have differing "facts" stated. In this day and age where we find it very easy to believe the worst of our government officials, it still behooves us to at least have all the facts at hand before we cast final judgement on said perpetrators. I checked on this with a member of the Valley board when I heard about it and the board is in the middle of sorting out all the details of the altercation and getting the statements of the various witnesses to the incident. If indeed, the officials are guilty of the offenses they are being charged with, then we indeed have every right to feel indignant. Until such time though, we may need to temper our opinion since it is still in the process of being sorted out. I say this in all fairness to all parties concerned.

another sad day in Philippine golf

I agree.


Shambles

The daughter would not make a detailed account of what happened in her blog, if she didnt witnessed it first hand.

I just hope the Pangandamams would not meet their match ,as this could get bloody for them.

If the politicos involve are found out by the board as the ones "guilty", i hope they won't be intimidated by them and not reveal their findings to the proper authorities.

There's a strong possibility (as in most of these cases) that they would attempt to settle this out of court or the perpetrators go scott free. I guess it would be too much to hope for that they get banned from all courses in Philippines...

While we do have to wait until all sides are heard, you're only human if you think you know who here might be right and wrong. And the government "officials" don't look like they are on the right side of this one. I haven't played at Valley in 20 years, and after hearing this story I wouldn't be in any rush to get out there.

After reading the news accounts, my questions are: What kind golf course allows bodyguards on the course? Isn't that a no-no at every course? Golfers, caddies, umbrella girls and that's it. Some courses won't even let your kids ride along in carts.

And a gun? Sure, we can't ask our members and guests to be frisked or go through metal detectors. But don't most courses have a no-guns rule? If this was violated, the member involved, even if the the gun was his guest's gun, should be suspended, at least six months, and the guest banned for life.

The issue here isn't whether the beating victim cursed the other guys. Curse back, call the marshal, etc. You don't resort to physical violence or pull a gun if you weren't attacked. If, however, the beating victim here started by throwing the first punch, it's going to be hard, IMHO, to insist the response was an over-reaction.

In any case, I agree: another sad day for golf.

When I played in Cebu, I remember hearing stories about a prominent member who hit a ball at another golfer on purpose because he was mad over something, and he was suspended for it. Apparently, the same golfer punched out a caddy who let his bag fall over in the parking lot, and again was punished. I don't know if the stories are true, and I won't mention any names or the course, but at least it seemed like the course took action over incidents of violence or attempted violence.

Maybe I better sharpen my wedge before heading out to play today.