Bambee Dela Paz: Justice or Bust.

Apparently and for now, it seems bust.

The last bit of news I found on Google was a news report on the ABS-CBN news website saying that the NBI had concluded their probe sans any recommendation as to what action should be taken.

Here's an excerpt of that report posted on abs-cbnnews.com on 01/16/2009:

the report on the incident did not contain any recommendation from the NBI-National Capital Region (NCR) since the two parties have already filed cases against each other in the courts. The decision not to include any recommendation, the NBI said, was to avoid influencing the court's decision on the cases.

NBI-NCR chief Atty. Edward Villarta, in a phone interview with ABS-CBN News, said the report included a chronology of events in the brawl, which occurred at the Valley Golf and Country Club in Antipolo City last December 26,

All people involved in the incident, including witnesses, also submitted affidavits.

Villarta said they hope their report would help the DOJ find out what actually happened in the brawl.

Sylvia L. Mayuga who writes "For Better or Worse" in INQUIRER.net posted her own observations on 01/18/2009

The chink in Bambee Dela Paz’s blog account of the incident has been revealed to the indignant audience. Her dad lost his temper first, poking Nasser Pangandaman, Jr. with a golf umbrella on his tummy or his bottom, depending on which caddy you talk to. Here’s a roundup of the story thus far. Note how Mrs. Dela Paz carried a knife and her son carried a baseball bat.

I mention this as another evaporating tempest in a teapot to make a point – it pays to verify before getting emotions all riled up in crusade, a power media wields regularly but not always wisely. In his column, old hand Mon Tulfo, macho police reporter-turned-opinion- columnist, has been man enough to acknowledge jumping to conclusions. Here’s hoping more of us, media and otherwise, remember the present blush of embarrassment and the lesson that came with it.

Other mentions in Philippine online newspaper websites include:

Gloria, Mike can learn from Obama inaugural
Philippine Star, Philippines - Jan 21, 2009
I refer to the media madness that followed the blog-posting by golfer Bambee dela Paz of her account of the December 26 brawl at Valley Golf involving her ...

The darker side of media
Manila Times, Philippines - Jan 19, 2009
Of course, the slant was that the teen-age children of Mr. de la Paz—Bino and Bambee—were at the receiving end of the punches from the mayor-son of ...

Manila Times columnist Alito Malinao writes:

After investigating the incident and based on the testimonies of eyewitnesses, the Valley Golf and Country Club finally came up with its findings that showed it was the de la Paz family that started the scuffle and the Pangandamans only acted in self-defense.

As a result, de la Paz was expelled from the club but Pangandaman was only given a slap on the wrist by suspending him for two years.

Are the self-righteous columnists and commentators now going to admit that they were unfair to Pangandaman? I don’t think so.

Comments in Bambee's blog seems to have topped out at around 2,000.

The "Updates and Thank you" post has become the host of a troll fiesta of sorts with commenters arguing over the point of whether Bambee's camp was completely innocent or not.

I was of the opinion that while Bambee's family seemed to have been on the losing end of the brawl, it was clear in all accounts of the Valley Golf Brawl that her father had started the fight and at least in one account, said that Bambee participated in the fisticuff by attempting to gouge out the eyes of one of the Pangandamans.

I shudda known better because for my efforts to inject intelligent debate in a sty of self confessed sodomites and quack doctors, I've earned the ire of a blogger who is now impersonating my Blogger profile. Quite funny to those who know me personally but really quite damaging if it gets used to do something illegal -- in addition to Identify Theft I've already notified Blogger several times about it but it seems they are taking their time to notify me about what action they are taking.

Yugatech's review of Blogger had already warned others of its flaws -- one of them being that it is commonly used by spammers and unscrupulous people. Blogger moves quite slowly on complaints, particularly with regard to IDENTITY THEFT and there are no visible safeguards against it.

Other bloggers have put up blogs supposedly to keep the Dela Paz' quest for justice alive, but so far, the posts are stale with nothing new about them.

News about the court cases the Dela Pazes and Pangandamans against one another are hard to come by.

The last bit of information I got directly from one of the parties involved was that settlement was being pursued. The way the Dela Pazes are pursuing the settlement, as one described it, was similar to someone running in front of a Mercedes Benz in order to get hit and later demand exhorbitant reparations from the driver of the vehicle.

Bambee dela Paz Blog yields unsolicited medical advice and an offer of free prescription drugs

Bambee dela Paz's blog continues to draw a lot of comments.

At this point, the comments are coming from bloggers who are arguing over whether or not she's as pure as driven snow or if she faces some manner of culpability in the Valley Golf Brawl.

Her entry, which gives an account of how the brawl transpired, now has over 1,000 comments and her following entry which expresses her gratitude to readers of her blog, has around 500 comments.

It has a deeply committed following and at least three bloggers have gone to extreme lengths to defend Bambee.

I've gotten my share of flak from a few by commenting that Bambee's blog is basically a one-sided account of the Valley Golf Brawl. Of course, I expected to get flak but what I didn't expect was medical advice and an offer of free prescription drugs from a blogger who claims to be Ronald Fronda MD.

I have a mind to ask if this violates any law or body of ethics for medical practitioners.

Here are comments from the blogger claiming to be Dr. Ronald Fronda.

ronaldfronda,md said...

Paul Farol,

.... bisita ka na lang sa office ko bigyan kita ng pangpakalma at konting antipsychotic para naman maka cope ka sa mga problema mo. Don't worry para sa yo free, bigyan pa kita ng sample na libre, yan naman type nyo eh magpalibre.

January 24, 2009 6:52 AM

January 24, 2009 4:50 PM

ronaldfronda,md said...

Paul Farol,

......

Pinabibisita nga kita sa opisina ko para makita at maiksamen kita dahil mukhang malala na ang problema mo, mukhang hindi lang pangpakalma at antipsychotic ang kailangan mo. Hindi ko naman naisip na sobrang bagal mo pala magisip.

....

January 24, 2009 5:16 PM

Certainly, in the spirit of things as they happened in the comments section of Bambee's blog, I doubt if any kind of legal action will be forthcoming.

If this is the REAL Dr. Fronda, he should be very wary of the legal implications of what he posts in the internet.

If this is not the REAL Dr. Fronda, perhaps the proper authorities in MIAMI should be alerted that somebody is going on line and impersonating him.

Former Batangas Gov. Leviste convicted on homicide raps

The conviction of former Batangas Governor Antonio Leviste on homicide charges comes just a few weeks after Mayor Nasser Pangandaman Jr. et al were charged by Delfin Dela Paz et al for the mauling incident at the Valley Golf and Country Club.

There is no real relation between the two stories except that both involve local government executives who figured in a violent incident and both claimed that they were defending themselves.

The verdict handed down today by Judge Elmo Alameda of Branch 50 of the Makati City regional trial court meted Leviste with a jail term of from 6 to 12 years and ordered him to pay P100,000 in damages. The former Batangas Governor claimed that he killed his aide Rafael Delas Alas in self-defense during an argument on Jan. 12, 2007, at his office at the LPL Tower in Legaspi Village, Makati City.

He could have gone scot-free on the grounds of self-defense, except for the fact that one bullet would have been enough to stop an attack and he shot his former aide five times. Another point which made the self-defense a bit harder to buy into was that it was not proven that Leviste's aide had fired a gun at him.

The gun purportedly used by Delas Alas was never submitted for ballistics examination, nor was the victim subjected to a paraffin test to prove that he had fired back.

More to the point, photos of Delas Alas body showed that he was sitting behind a desk. Forensic evidence is silent on whether he was shot while he was seated behind his desk or if his attacker was standing up.

What was the trajectory of the bullet? How far away from the victim was the attacker? The answers are simply missing.

The decision on Leviste's case will not have any bearing on the case lodged against Mayor Nasser Pangandaman, who like the Leviste claims self-defense. But then again, the decision on Leviste somehow illustrates what self-defense is and is not.

Shooting a man five times is not self-defense, especially if the one claiming self-defense cannot prove that he was being attacked.

Parrying or blocking a blow from someone wielding a golf umbrella is self-defense. Six men beating up one old man is not self-defense, it is an act of revenge.

Anyway, as a result of the verdict, Leviste will be taken to the Makati City Jail -- having been out on bail during the whole time that the case against him was being heard. His lawyer has appealed for a 15 day extension of his bail, citing humanitarian grounds.

In contrast, truck and bus drivers who kill people due to reckless imprudence often have to stay in jail while their cases are being heard because they don't have money hire a good lawyer and post bail.

Leviste has little to fear about going to the Makati City Jail. It is perhaps a relatively cleaner prison compared to the notorious New Bilibid Prison. Certainly, a rich and influential man like Leviste will be able to pay for a lot of privileges that ordinary prisoners do not have.

Perhaps Congressman Romeo Jalosjos, Mayor Antonio Sanchez, and Claudio Teehankee Jr. can give Leviste a couple of insider tips. Maybe, even former President Joseph Estrada (who was convicted of plunder) can tell Leviste how to get a Presidential pardon.

As long as we are talking about politics, let me mention that when news about Leviste shooting Delas Alas broke out, one of the first people asked to comment on the incident was Senator Loren Legarda -- who was then running for Senator after her failed attempt at the Vice Presidency in 2004.

I don't remember if I heard Legarda speaking on a live interview on AM radio, but I remember her presaging her comment with an admission that she had been estranged from Leviste for quite some time -- distancing herself from her husband who was also her major political and financial benefactor.

Perhaps it was sound judgement, from a political standpoint. Perhaps her heart bled and her eyes teared up just like St. Peter when he realized that he had denied Jesus Christ three times. Who knows?

Pinoy Biz is now Pinoy Buzz

Laurence a. k. a. Words for Moolah, Angry Manileno, and Pinoy Media Insider drove home a very good point about my blog's title.

My blog, as it is now, doesn't having anything to do about business in the strict sense of the term and this may be misleading people, thwarting return visits.

Several things confirm this.

Both my bravenet and webstats motigo counters indicate that less than 25 percent of my visitors return to my blog.

The reports from Google Analytics were better at explaining this because it indicated that a fair amount of visitors bounced or clicked away when I posted the articles about blogging for money. The visitors that did stay and read a couple of pages were the ones that had to do with current news (the Pangandaman-Dela Paz Valley Golf Club Brawl).

So, considering my friend's opinion and looking at the data, I've decided to change my blog's title while keeping the URL for the meantime.

The content, as it has been for the past couple of days, will be about my own quirky views about Philippine politics and the media that covers it.

Valley Golf expels Dela Paz, bans Mayor Nasser for life

I kinda like it when people take the time and effort to leave a comment on my blog. It makes me feel all warm and tingly, somewhat.

For example, here's one from blogsurdities on "Golf justice: Dela Paz expelled from Valley Golf C...":

That is NOT a fair decision! What is wong with the sense of justice of the Philippine courts? My, my, my being a small town mayor really gives you a lot of "rights" to bamboozle other folks? And the same guy who acts like a uncivil barbarian at a country club wanted to control blogger's rights to blog? Is he crazy or simply a moron?

Dear blogsurdities,

The decision to expel of Delfin Dela Paz and ban for life Mayor Nasser Pangandaman Jr. from the Valley Golf Country Club (VGCC) was not an act of our court system.

I think that the decision was done in favor of all the other VGCC members who do not like other members and their guests brawling on the greens.

However, while the decision seems laudable and even Solomonic, for its fairness you'd have to agree that this doesn't really do much. After all, the damage has already been done and people will remember the incident as a turning point when a golf course turned into a boxing ring or biker bar.

I wonder if they'll feature mud wrestling on the banks of their water hazards?

If the VGCC had been on their toes the whole time, the Valley Golf Brawl shouldn't have happened.

Firmness when it comes to club rules would have prevented the Dela Paz's from putting off with just two people in their flight instead of the required four. Discrete security personnel a.k.a. bouncers at the teehouse between Holes 4 and 5 could have kept Dela Paz from getting himself beaten up.

In any case, Mayor Nasser and Delfin Dela Paz are both welcome to play jolens in my back yard. I'll even have Secretary Neri and former Comelec Chairman Abalos serve chinese ham-boor-jers a.k.a. thick slices of Ma-Ling between cuts of silver bread rolls.

Golf justice: Dela Paz expelled from Valley Golf Country Club

I am sure, the Dela Paz's have oodles to say about this kind of justice.

Here's the story from gmanew.tv:

Valley Golf expels De la Paz for causing brawl
SOPHIA DEDACE, GMANews.TV

(Update) MANILA, Philippines -
Valley Golf Course and Country Club officials on Sunday expelled Delfin de la Paz from its roster of members and suspended Agrarian Reform Secretary Nasser Pangandaman Sr. in connection with their scuffle at the club's last month.

In a two-page resolution, the golf course’s board of directors sanctioned De la Paz for “disorderly behavior" when he instigated the brawl with Mayor Nasser Pangandaman Jr. of Masiu in Lanao del Sur, his brother Mohammed Hussein, and their bodyguards.

The Valley Golf officials "banned for life" nonmembers Nasser Jr. and Hussein for "unruly behavior" at the golf course.

Pangandaman Sr., a member of the golf club, was held "vicariously liable" for the actions of his two sons who were his guests.

"The board unanimously resolves that Mr. Delfin de la Paz be expelled as a member of the club for disorderly conduct in instigating the brawl that occurred. As to Secretary Nasser Pangadaman Sr., the board unanimously resolves that he be suspended for a period of two years because of the disorderly conduct of his guests," Valley Golf spokesman Teofilo Abejo said.

He said the decision was based on the accounts of marshals, caddies, three house attendants of the executive’s course’s hole No. 5, and the statements from both parties.

The board added that De la Paz and Pangandaman's dependents will also be banned from the premises of the club for the duration imposed upon them.

The recommended penalties will also take effect immediately, but the involved parties can appeal the sanctions after a year.

The resolution was signed by all nine members of the board.

Jose Ferlu Sudario, one of the directors of the golf club, said he was happy with the board’s decision.

"Hopefully, on hindsight, tama ang naging decision namin. Natutuwa naman ako na nag-desisyon ng board [ng] unanimous. Kapag ang member ay nagkakamali, dapat patawan ng parusa. And that’s exactly what we did," he said in an interview with reporters.

["Hopefully, on hindsight, our decision would prove to be right. I'm happy that the board decision was unanimous. Whenever a member does something wrong, he should be punished. And that's exactly what we did."]

However, he said that the children of De la Paz – Maria Bhel (Bambee) and Lorenzo (Bino) – should be spared.

He said they might appeal the decision as Bambee and Bino are both promising golfers.

Abejo clarified that their investigation was only internal, and it should be separated from the probe of the National Bureau of Investigation.

In the resolution, the board also resolved that the Valley Golf management “strictly enforce" the rules against bringing of bodyguards within the club’s premises, saying that some politician-members still enter the club premises and the golf course with their bodyguards.

Abejo said Valley Golf strongly condemns the incident. - GMANews.TV

LIbel raps VS. Bambee Dela Paz

Two of my favorite bloggers decided to pay a visit to my blog, ugly Gorilla hunter Political Jaywalker and Scrupulous blogger Words for Moolah.

PJ left a comment which should make Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and most notable Sigourney Weaver swoon for defending the good reputation of peaceful gorillas who don't play golf:

"Our libel law sucks and it is just one of the trapos instrument to harass and intimidate legitimate grievances. I am afraid that their reputation and character are sullied..... no I meant the gorillas when they are unfairly characterized as the Pangandamans, lol. "

And Wordsformoolah -- whose asus eeepc 701 seems to be missing shift keys -- makes a point with:

"i think this isn't the first time here in the philippines that someone was charged with libel over something they wrote in their blog.

"and, if memory serves me right, i think there is a pending measure against the practice of filing cases in courts located in places that are too far away form where the respondent is based.

"obviously, this will be a big hassle for bambee as she now faces the prospect of having to go all the way to mindanao for a court case. for the rich and powerful, this tactic falls under the category of 'pursuing all legal remedies available.'"

I've heard the side of the Pangandamans through two friends and they make pretty good cases against the Dela Paz's, particularly against Delfin. One of those two people, over lunch at Sofitel's Spiral, characterized Delfin as "maangas" and "sobrang maangas". Others have come out in the blogosphere and elsewhere defending the Pangandamans basically by characterizing Delfin (the father of 18 year old Bambee and 14 year old Bino) as a real jerk who fortunately or unfortunately got his come uppance.

Great! And that's why I say that they ought to settle their differences in court and that process, I think, is already underway. Unless, of course, both parties go for an amicable settlement which would be a real let down.

After all, Bambee and her fellow bloggers were all crying for JUSTICE. What happens when they just suddenly shut up and withdraw the case they filed against the Pangandamans?

Will Delfin, Bambee, and Bino just say that pursuing their case against the Pangandamans were just too difficult? Would they whisper loudly that they had been pressured to drop their quest for justice?

At least for Delfin, there is an option to drop his case in exchange for an amicable settlement. However, the case of Bino against Mayor Nasser et al, which is child abuse should go on -- unless prosecutors are bribed to drop the case.

As for the libel suit against Bambee, sure Mayor Nasser Pangandaman Jr. has all the right to file this case to salvage whatever good reputation he may have had before. But you know what, it wasn't Bambee's blog that ruined his reputation, it was his own action.

First of all, I still think that it was completely unnecessary for them to engage Delfin, Bambee, and Bino in a brawl.

There are several versions of how the brawl started but they all have to do with Delfin and an umbrella. One version says that Delfin poked Mayor Nasser with an umbrella and another says that Delfin repeatedly bashed Mayor Nasser with an umbrella. (For all we know, may be it wasn't Delfin but Penguin who hit Mayor Nasser with an umbrella.)

After getting hit by an umbrella, what happened afterwards could not be described as SELF-DEFENSE. When you engage in self-defense the primary motive is to keep yourself from getting harmed and this not necessarily mean you have to beat up your "attacker".

All that needed to be done then was to restrain an old man. There were six people in Pangandaman's party, are they saying it was impossible for them to have restrained Delfin?

Six people beating up one 56 year old man (even if that man is an asshole), is by no means an act of self-defense. The old man was MAULED and so was his son.

Maybe Delfin provoked it, but provocation is by no means a justification for using superior force to beat somebody to a pulp.

Retaliation, or in common parlance "resbak", is what happened. The Pangandamans engaged in retaliation.

Another point with regard to self-defense I'd like to make is that running away is a good form of self-defense too! Maybe Mayor Nasser got so badly beaten up with the umbrella that Delfin used against him that it paralyzed his legs and triggered an epileptic fit that caused him to swing his fists.

So going back to the libel suit against Bambee, I think it is a legal way to harass somebody.

Mayor Nasser Pangandaman Jr. files libel suit vs. Bambee Dela Paz

Got a heads up from Pedestrian Observer that Mayor Nasser Pangandaman Jr. filed a libel suit against Bambee Dela Paz over her blog in Lanao Del Norte.

The first question on my mind right now is whether this amounts to harassment or does it make for a test case for Philippine bloggers as far as libel suits are concerned. Can bloggers get sued over what they put in their blogs?

Also, I remember that those sued for libel (reporters, columnists, publishers, etcetera) some times get hauled off into jail. Does Bambee go to jail in Lanao Del Norte where the libel suit was filed?

I've heard of this tact before. A few years back, another Mindanaoan (Mindana-won) politician filed a libel suit against a Filipino journalist over a story. It was quite effective in shutting the journalist up.

I hate to say this, but the threat implied by Mayor Nasser Jr. is that Bambee will have to face his people in Lanao del Norte. Of course, the younger Pangandaman can say that he can't stop his people from harming Bambee just as his father, Secretary Pangandaman, said that he could not stop his own son from beating up an old man and a 14 year old.

If Mayor Nasser Jr. thinks this libel suit against Bambee Dela Paz can in anyway help their public image, they are dead wrong.

Blogging for Greenbacks (Part 6): Finding content that drives up traffic

I have stumbled upon a way to get free traffic to my blog that bothers the conscience of my good, old friend who writes Words for Moolah. It is effective but, if you have the same kind of scruples as Words for Moolah, then you should probably not try it at all.

It's not like I posted naked pictures of Charice Pempengco or Manny Pacquiao or Miley Cyrus.

His beef with this approach is this:

my good friend paul has been encouraging me to link up with blogs that feature posts concerning hot current events. one such issue he recommended that i ride (sakyan) is the one about that much talked about fight that cemented the philippine's reputation for producing world class boxers, the de la paz-pangandaman brawl.

...riding on hot issues by posting on relevant blogs is one way of harnessing the power of networking. but there's a problem...

i don't want to appear like i'm criticizing how other bloggers drive up traffic to their sites because i'm not. i'm simply saying that this approach is a little too cheesy for my taste.

don't get me wrong i love cheese. in fact, i can recommend cheese as a topping for any viand except maybe for "paksiw." but, i digress.

the simple fact is i'm just not yet comfortable with the idea of commenting on another person's blog if my dominant motivation for doing so is to boost traffic to my own site.

A good number of people posted entries regarding Bambi Dela Paz Blog and commented on that blog. The number of omments on her entry on December 26 titled The world has gone crazy reached 1,301 as of January 9, 2009 4:20 PM and the number of comments will continue piling on.

I don't know how many people reposted Bambi's entry in their own blogs but certainly, a lot of people I know through Facebook read the notes posted on it. Former ABS-CBN TV reporter Weng Orejana even posted an appeal on Mar Roxas' Facebook wall asking for him to do something about it.

Which actually gets me to wondering why other politicians didn't speak against the Pangandamans -- well except Senator Aquilino Pimentel. Are they afraid of political retribution in the 2010 polls? Lanao Del Norte, after all, is vote rich -- even the dead and newly born vote there. If I am mistaken about this, please correct me.

In any case, before I digress further, the point is that of the 1,301 people who commented on Bambi's entree there were a number who left their blog's URL in the comment and ostensibly even asked others to go to their blog.

Besides the bad karma one reaps from capitalizing on the misfortune of others, one other thing that Words for Moolah may really be ranting against is the unsophistacation and lack of subtlety of some commenters when it comes to blog spamming. Because, in essence, that is what it really is.

Sure, leaving your URL or link in high traffic blogs will get people to visit your blog. But what happens when somebody your link and finds that your blog has absolutely nothing to relevant to whatever it is they are interested in?

No shit Sherlocke! They will navigate away from your blog and probably not visit it again.

Having talked about the wrong thing to do, let me tell you about the right thing to do when trying to get traffic from hot items on the blogosphere or in the news.

One good source of web traffic, as I have said, is the news and another is the blogosphere. Put those two together and you've got a good place to search for ideas for blog entries that will generate traffic.

Here is how I figure it, if something is on the news, it indicates that a lot of people should be interested in it. More to the point, referring to news items automatically gives you current, popular words and names in particular combinations that people are looking for.

You have to bear in mind that when people log on to Google or Yahoo Search, they won't type the name of your blog. Duh! By using current and popular searched for words, you will increase your chances of getting someone to stumble upon your blog.

Figure out number of people log on to search engines, then figure out how many people are typing those search words, and figure on just one percent of one percent, then you'll probably arrive at pretty enormous number which indicates potential traffic. Between that number and the number of hits you actually get is another matter all together which will depend on a number of factors, including your ranking in search results.

Search words are different from keywords as it is used in SEO.

What I do to figure out what news item would be a good source of traffic is to look at several news sites. I look at what online newspapers are posting are posting in their headlines or top stories and after that, I look at what is in their breaking news.

I am an avid visitor of at least four news websites and they are (in no particular order) the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Philippine Star, GMA News dot TV, and ABS-CBN News.

The next thing I look at are other blogs, particularly those that are written by Filipino journalists, columnists, or people of equal celebrity or authority.

After looking at what's hot on the news and what is hot on the blogosphere, the choice of topics should be apparent.

The formula for this is simple enough:

Look at what's high up in the news. Not all headlines will drive traffic to your blog. The best bets are usually running stories and ones that involve some drama.

Post an entry reacting to it. In posting reactions to news, it would help to make short but concise reference to the news article first.

Also, it is good practice to include a link back to a source article (a page which has the news report). After that, you can blog away about it to your heart's content.

However, apart from sharing your personal opinion on the matter, it would be better if you can offer information or ideas that a lot of people may find valuable if not interesting.

The best thing that you can write about is how this particular news affects you. It can turn you into a chronicler of sorts of how big develops such as, say, the Global recession is affecting jobs in your home town. Honest, factual, and personal accounts that are well written are very valuable.

Despite being criticized for being a lopsided account (and this is understandable), Bambi's blog entry on the Valley Golf Brawl got a lot of attention precisely because it seemed to be an honest personal account of a tragedy involving a fight with a big name in government.

But, of course, intentionally picking a fight with cabinet members and their children would be an extreme, absurd, and wreckless way of promoting your blog.

Post comments on higher traffic blogs. When you do this, it helps to be subtle about leading people back to your blog. There is nothing more irritating than a blogger who is virtually screaming 'Looky! Looky! Me got blog!'.

The comment sections of some blogs allow you to put in your URL and others don't. Some only allow you to log in with your blogger profile ID, Gmail account, or Open ID.

People who find your comment interesting will naturally want to read more about you and in the process, find your blog. The best thing that can happen is if the owner of the blog visits your blog and decides to link his or her blog to your blog. It is as good as an endorsement as any that your blog matters, at least to them.

Also, when you do post a comment, try to be polite and courteous. Sharing your views doesn't necessarily involve shooting the views of other people down.

The best approach to commenting is to do so with the sincere intention of being helpful.

Do you have information that others don't have or may have overlooked? Do you have insight that may help others figure out what to do? Share that.

(Next up, the 2008 Year-End Google Zeitgeist and how it can help target your blog)

Now Showing: Brodett Family Feud at the NBI

The poor Dave Brodett, the friendly Justice Usec. Ricardo Blancaflor, and the onion-skinned PDEA Officer Ferdinand Marcelino will make their appearance at the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) today.

This after Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez asked the NBI to investigate cases of bribery attempts involving Marcelino and Department of Justice prosecutors.

The whole saga regarding the Alabang Boys, bribery attempts at the PDEA and DOJ, the face off between DOJ Secretary Gonzalez and PDEA Officer Marcelino, the teary confession of the poor Brodetts, and the ensuing controversy around the alleged bribery attempts has been receiving the lions share of the media spotlight. It unseated the Pangandaman-Dela Paz Valley Golf Brawl as a top story and now continues to haul in traffic for Philippine on-line newspapers.

Next to melodramas, it seems Filipinos are in-love with live news drama involving the rich and powerful. Before all of this, what received major attention (marathon live TV and radio news coverage) was the Blue Ribbon Committee hearings on the P732-Million Fertilizer Fund Scam. For sure, there were others (such as the Hello Garci hearings and before that, former President Joseph Estrada's Impeachment trial).

However the current one has all the makings of a soap opera in the tradition of Dallas.

The PDEA-DOJ-Brodett saga heated upon on Tuesday when Marcelino and DOJ Secretary Gonzalez tangled at the House of Representatives Hearing (Congress) on the alleged bribery attempts.

If it what I heard over DZMM's live radio coverage had been an American police melodrama (think Mike Hammer, NYPD Blue, etcetera) on Wednesday, Marcelino would have played the role of the teary eyed cop frustrated by the justice system and Gonzalez would have played the part of the D. A. who claims his hands were bound by the technical requisites of the law.

Then, there came the confessions of Dave and Anthony Brodett -- the Uncle and first cousin of Alabang boy Richard Brodett.

Dave, a former actor and professional Athlete, decried the miscarriage of justice and the soiling of his family name. Anthony, his son, confessed that his cousin had taught him how to use drugs and that his Auntie not only knew about it, but had used his cousin to buy drugs for her.

Wow!

Looking at both the Pangandaman-Dela Paz Valley Golf Brawl and the Brodett Family Feud, it seems that the rich and famous are once again the IN thing.

Hold on for revivals of Falcon Crest, Dallas, and other soap operas that tell of the lives of the rich, powerful and CORRUPT.

Oh! Did I forget to mention that these current Now Showings are just sidelights in the bigger on going melodrama that is Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's continuing hold on power?

Pangandamans open to settling Valley Golf Brawl case

My eldest brother Gene would have probably made his favorite comment, "DRAMA QUEENS!" and he would be right.

One funny quip blurted out by a member of the Valley Golf and Country Club who witnessed the commotion was, "Akala namin may nakapasok na mga squatter!"

Here's a report from the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Pangandamans open to settling brawl case
By Christian V. Esguerra
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 11:19:00 01/06/2009

ILIGAN CITY, Philippines--Agrarian Reform Secretary Nasser Pangandaman Sr. said on Tuesday morning that his family could agree to an "amicable" settlement with the Dela Paz family to put behind them the golfing brawl that blighted their holidays and brought them to court.

"We're open to that," he told reporters at the Macareg-Macapagal House in Timoga where President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was to preside over her first full Cabinet meeting for 2009 at 1:30 p.m.

Pangandaman said several intermediaries had approached his family for a possible out-of-court settlement with the Dela Paz family.

Businessman Delfin Dela Paz and his 14-year-old son Bino and the Pangandaman's two sons, Hussein and Nasser Jr., the mayor of Masiu, Lanao del Sur, swapped charges of physical injuries, grace coercion, light threats and even child abuse at the Antipolo Prosecutors' Office on Monday over the Dec. 26 golfing brawl at the Valley Golf and Country Club.

The two families fought over the use of the fairway. Each pointed to the other as having started the fight.

The Dela Pazes have asked Secretary Pangandaman Sr. to resign, go on leave or face suspension, saying he goaded his sons into the fight and even shouted invectives during the incident.

Pangandaman Sr. denied the charges.

DOJ Usec. Blancaflor succeeds in keeping Alabang boys in jail!

I was playing a little game with myself yesterday and betting on which story would place higher up in the print and broadcast news.

Would it be the story of Dela Paz filing his case against the Pangandamans or would it be Justice Undersecretary Blancaflor's boo-boo of calling up PDEA to ask about the release of the Alabang boys?

Would it be a golf brawl imbued with questionable national significance? Or would it be the highly irregular action of a Justice Usec asking about the release of the Alabang boys, at a time when controversy surrounded the clearing of the suspects because of a reported P50 million bribe.

I wasn't able to flip through the all early evening news last night and haven't looked at all of the newspapers yet, so I can't really say which of the two stories really got the top tank.

Nevertheless, it seems Justice Undersecretary Ricardo Blancaflor must have been a good boy for most of 2008 because he finally got one of his most fondest wishes -- that of gaining a lot of media exposure.

He has been known to ask why his press releases weren't getting in the newspapers and had even requested that his press releases be put on the crawl in TV news.

Well, fret no more Usec, you've ARRIVED!

Since Arlyn Dela Cruz's article in the Inquirer over the weekend, his name has been on the frontpages of several newspapers for several days.

The story was that Blancaflor called Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency officer Ferdinand Marcelino to ask why the drug suspects remained under detention despite a DOJ resolution finding no probable cause to charge them. Marcelino said that he felt he was being pressured at a time when his agency had decided not to release the three drug suspects unless DOJ Secretary Raul Gonzalez signed the release order himself.

Blancaflor in his defense has, of course, said that there was nothing illegal in calling the PDEA and he seems to be right.

However, the thing is, the Usec did not just call PDEA. As soon as he found out that all that was keeping the Alabang boys from being released was a signature from Justice Secretary Gonzalez, a draft release order MAGICALLY appeared at his office and was trasmitted to Justice Secretary Gonzalez.

However, Norman Bordadora of Inquirer reports that :

Justice undersecretary Ricardo Blancaflor Monday admitted that the draft order for the release of the so-called “Alabang Boys” passed his office before it was sent to Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez for his approval and signature before the Christmas break.

The paper is what Gonzalez was referring to when he said somebody in the Department of Justice (DOJ) had tried to make him sign a draft order to release drug suspects Richard Brodett, Jorge Joseph and Joseph Tecson in time for the holidays.

Sources at the justice department point to one of Blancaflor’s secretaries—Janet Payoyo—as the one who brought the draft release order to Gonzalez’s office just before the lengthy Christmas break.

Blancaflor saw nothing wrong with his office transmitting the draft release order for Gonzalez’s signature.

“Because I was not around, I always instruct my staff that whatever document passes through here to give it to the Office of the Secretary or the staff in charge,” he said at a news conference.

Blancaflor said he didn’t even see the paper. “Inasmuch as that paper was not within our office, I had someone check with the prosecutor involved and I sent it to the Office of the Secretary,” he said.

The undersecretary said he didn’t even know where the draft order came from or how it came to his office. He said it arrived in his office either on Dec. 22 or Dec. 23. He said he was already in Iloilo at that time.

Blancaflor, in essense, denies having had the draft of the release order written.

The report further says:

Gonzalez said drafting a release order for drug suspects was not one of Blancaflor’s functions in the DOJ.

“It is not illegal per se when you speak of illegality but it is irregular. In other words, you prepared a resolution for me to sign and I have not ordered you to prepare it. Maybe if I ordered that such an order be prepared, I could not complain,” Gonzalez said.

The justice secretary said there was a possibility that Blancaflor might be found administratively liable for the draft release order.

“He can be,” the justice secretary said when asked if Blancaflor may he administratively liable.

Further on:

The justice secretary, nonetheless, found Blancaflor’s seeming interest in the suspects’ case “a bit unusual.”

“It is not basically within the ambit of his assigned responsibilities. But any undersecretary can inquire,” Gonzalez said.

He said the “Alabang Boys” had yet to be cleared. The resolution finding no case against the suspects that Chief State Prosecutor Jovencito Zuño signed has yet to be approved by justice secretary.

“The normal procedure, under the manual for prosecutors, if the case is decided there, the final say belongs to the chief prosecutor of the city or the province,” Gonzalez said.

“But… if it is a drug or smuggling case if the punishment is more than five years, and you dismiss a case of that nature, you must get my imprimatur. As far as I’m concerned, something that didn’t pass through me, technically is not yet a valid resolution,” he said.

As a result, Justice Secretary Gonzalez says that it would now be impossible for him to sign an order releasing the Alabang boys.

That's good news, isn't it?

Actually, if you were trying to do a PR job for Usec. Blancaflor, perhaps you can sput a positive spin on all of this.

You could say that contrary to suspicions that Blancaflor was trying to FACILITATE the release of the Alabang boys, his gameplan all along was really to keep them in jail longer.

Could the Usec. be telling his fraternity brothers, "Oks ba mga brad? Galing ko ano?!" (Translation: Hey brothers, I did some amazing shit didn't I?)

Score one for the BLANK! er Blancaflor!

Pangandaman-Dela Paz open to settlement

This is just so STUPID and just reinforces what I had said at the beginning, dapat pag-untugin na lang ang mga ulo ni Delfin at Mayor Nasser Jr.

In the Philippine Star today:

As charges filed, parties in golf brawl open to settlement
By Non Alquitran Updated January 06, 2009 12:00 AM

The camps of Agrarian Reform Secretary Nasser Pangandaman Sr. and businessman Delfin de la Paz did not rule out yesterday an out-of-court settlement of the charges they filed against each other as a result of the brawl at a golf course in Antipolo City last Dec. 26.

But the problem is who would make the first move.

De la Paz’s lawyer Raymond Fortun and Ted Pastrana, counsel of Pangandaman, claimed that their clients are open to an amicable settlement, considering that the cases have not yet been formally filed in court.

Fortun claimed that aside from a text message purportedly coming from Pangandaman’s relative, they have not received any communication from the agrarian reform secretary’s camp to start negotiations for an out-of-court settlement.

Pastrana countered that it was his clients who are the aggrieved party and they would not wish to make the first move to patch up the petty quarrel with the De la Paz family.

De la Paz, 56, and his son Bino Lorenzo, 14, filed two counts of slight physical injuries and three counts of child abuse charges against Secretary Pangandaman’s sons Mayor Nasser Pangandaman Jr., 27, of Masiu, Lanao del Sur and his brother Muhammed Hussein before the Antipolo City prosecutor’s office at about 8:50 a.m.

De la Paz’s daughter and star witness Marie Dhel or Bambee, 18, accompanied the complainants.

Pastrana and the Pangandaman brothers appeared at the same prosecutor’s office two hours later to file physical injuries charges against De la Paz and Bino.

They also filed an additional grave coercion and light threats charge against Delfin, Bino, Bambee, and Bruce de la Paz, who arrived at the golf course armed with a baseball bat, and Mrs. Maridel de la Paz, who was armed with a bladed weapon.

The Pangandamans also brought along golf caddies Renato Legaspi, Ferdy de la Torre and Santos Estrera, who testified that the elder De la Paz started the fight.

The two camps assigned their respective lawyers to speak on their behalf regarding the case.

Fortun said the De la Paz family also plans to file administrative charges against the agrarian reform secretary and Mayor Pangandaman before the Ombudsman on Wednesday.

He said they would seek a preventive suspension against the two government officials.

In their complaint, De la Paz narrated that the mauling incident was triggered by the Pangandamans when they overtook their flight during a golf game at the Valley Golf and Country Club in Antipolo City.

Bino said the Pangandamans ganged up on him and his father, despite his and Bambee’s repeated pleadings.

The mauling incident happened at the tee house of the 5th hole and at the clubhouse.

Fortun said they would file an administrative complaint against the elder Pangandaman because he appeared to have uttered statements that inflamed his son in beating up his clients.

The Pangandamans, however, claimed that the elder De la Paz started the quarrel.

Caddies Legaspi, De la Torre and Estrera claimed the Pangandamans hired their services for two flights.

The first flight was composed of the elder Pangandaman, Rene Maglanque, Arnel Estacio and Faisal Abdulah, while in the second flight were Hussein, Nasser Jr., Farrah Locsin and Adnan Pacasum.

Legaspi is the caddy of Maglanque, De la Torre of Hussein and Estrera of Locsin.

Estrera said Nasser Jr. and Locsin arrived late and together with him and another caddy, Jaime Jocar Jr., they rode two golf carts to catch up with their flightmates.

Estrera admitted they overtook the De la Pazes in the process, which angered Delfin, who later confronted the Pangandamans.

Nasser Jr. said it appeared that the De la Pazes resented what “he wrongly perceived as overtaking.”

While Nasser Jr. was still outside the green of Hole No. 4, the flight of the De la Pazes hit their shots into the green without shouting “fore.”

To shield Angelo, Hussein’s eight-year-old son, from being hit by the balls, Nasser said his caddy took him behind one of the golf carts.

After they finished Hole No. 5, the Pangandamans joined their father’s flight at the tee house for snacks.

At this juncture, the elder De la Paz approached Nasser Jr. and once again shouted that what they did was wrong.

“To mollify him, I told him (Delfin) that we would not mind if their flight go ahead of us while we were still taking our snacks,” said Nasser Jr. in his affidavit.

Nasser Jr. said the elder De la Paz thrust his closed golf umbrella at his direction, prompting him to parry it with his elbow. And almost instantaneously, he punched the elder De la Paz in self-defense.

The three caddies corroborated Nasser Jr.’s statement that the umbrella incident started the fight.

The young mayor said Bino and Bambee rushed to aid their father.

Hussein came to Nasser Jr.’s side and grabbed the umbrella from the elder De la Paz, who punched him in the process. Hussein hit back and the two were soon engaged in a fistfight.

Nasser Jr. admitted that his brother got the upper hand and De la Paz fell down. Bino threw punches at Hussein’s face while Bambee crept up from behind and kept on wildly scratching his brother’s face.

“Bino then got a golf club which he used to hit me on the hand. I retaliated, punching him I think on the face,” said Nasser Jr.

He said it was Maglanque who intervened and broke up the fight.

While the situation had seemingly settled down, the elder Pangandaman decided it would be safer for their group to discontinue playing to prevent further untoward incident.

However, while at the clubhouse, they had a chance meeting with the De la Pazes and they quarreled again.

Mrs. De la Paz and her son Bruce, armed with a bladed weapon and a baseball bat respectively, arrived later but were prevented by the club’s security guard from joining the fight.

The De la Pazes submitted as evidence medical certificates issued by the Antipolo Community Hospital and the Manila East Medical Center and photocopies of Bino’s head and ear injuries.

The Pangandamans submitted photocopies of the police blotter, medical certificates from the Capitol Medical Center and East Avenue Medical Center of the injuries of Mayor Pangandaman.

Fortun said his clients are open for any out of court settlement of the case, as he pointed out that “money is not the prime issue here.”

“If their offer of an amicable settlement is sincere, then we would entertain them,” said Fortun, adding, “I do hope that cooler heads intervene to settle this case.”

Fortun said they would wait for the Pangandamans or their emissary to contact them.

He said he could not fathom how the elder Pangandaman could accuse his 56-year-old and 14-year-old clients of being the aggressors of the fight.

“Let them make the first move,” Fortun said.

Pastrana said his clients would welcome negotiations for an amicable settlement.

“It was established that the De la Pazes started the fisticuffs and we are the aggrieved party so we should not make the first move,” said Pastrana with regard to Fortun’s challenge.

“This incident was blown out of proportion, considering that my clients are public officials.”

The lawyer said his clients have been demonized because of the “black propaganda” waged by the De la Pazes, especially through blogs circulated on the Internet. “All of this happened obviously on the instigation of the elder De la Paz,” he said.

But one of the prosecutors in Antipolo City pointed out that it would now be difficult for both parties to arrive at an amicable settlement because of the Department of Justice Circular 59 of Sept. 9, 2002 involving child abuse cases.

The circular calls for the continuation of the cases in court even if the complainants submitted an affidavit of desistance.

“The physical injuries charges can be dropped easily but not the child abuse cases because of the DOJ circular,” the prosecutor told reporters.

With regard to Fortun’s plan of seeking the suspension of the elder Pangandaman and the Masiu mayor before the Ombudsman, Pastrana said the administrative case is unrelated to the brawl.

NBI invites Sec Pangandaman

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has invited Secretary Pangandaman and Nasser Jr., for questioning.

NBI-National Capital Region (NCR) Director Edward Villarta said they expect the Pangandamans to appear today to give a statement “to give their side of the story.”

He said no subpoena was sent but only a letter of invitation. A lawyer could accompany the Pangandamans.

Villarta said they have formed a fact-finding team composed of NCR agents to investigate allegations that the Pangandamans beat up the De la Pazes.

He said the De la Pazes have already submitted a statement to the NBI.

He said NBI agents have also interviewed witnesses, including the two caddies of the De la Pazes and four caddies of the Pangandamans.

The NBI agents also interviewed three waitresses and a manager of the clubhouse where the alleged mauling occurred.

The interviews with the witnesses were conducted last December at the clubhouse of the Valley Golf and Country Club in Antipolo City.

Meanwhile, Malacañang continued its defense of Secretary Pangandaman in connection with his involvement in te golf course altercation.

Deputy presidential spokesperson Lorelei Fajardo said that an investigation is already underway regarding the incident and that pending the results of this probe, Pangandaman would remain at his post.

Fajardo said Pangandaman has given his side of the incident, which refuted the allegations made by the De la Pazes.

“There’s an ongoing investigation at the Department of Justice regarding that and if I’m not mistaken, he was not included in the case filed by De la Paz this morning,” Fajardo said.

Fajardo said the executive branch would make a decision over Pangandaman’s case after the investigation is completed.

“I think it will be early as of now to grant that preventive suspension. Let’s wait for the result of the initial investigation before we can act on it,” she said.

Presidential Management Staff director general Cerge Remonde said that Pangandaman should be presumed innocent until proven guilty. – With Sandy Araneta, Marvin Sy

Pangandaman Jr.'s side of the Valley Golf Brawl

I don't know how long the brawl between the Pangandamans and Dela Paz's at the Valley Golf and Country Club actually lasted but the story seems to drag on forever.

Today, the Dela Paz's will be filing charges against the Pangandamans at the Antipolo Prosecutor's office. Just right now, a report on DZMM says that they Dela Paz's have acquired the services of Atty. Raymond Fortun.

So far, it is the Dela Paz's side of the brawl at the Valley Golf and Country Club in Antipolo that has received a lot of attention on the internet and in traditional news media here in the Philippines.

DAR Secretary Nasser Pangandaman Sr. and Masiu City Mayor Nasser Pangandaman Jr. had each taken turns to air their side of the story two or three days after news of the incident broke out. Perhaps, this was after realizing that keeping silent regarding the incident was only doing more harm to them than good. Certainly, it wasn't because news reporters weren't interested in their side of the story.

Unfortunately, the Pangandaman's silence during a crucial period allowed the Dela Paz's side of the story to become well entrenched. By the time the Pangandamans did come out with their side of the story, a lot of people's opinions on the matter had already been set and at this point, it will be very hard to convince people to change their views on the matter. The court of public opinion had already ruled the Pangandamans guilty of all sorts of crimes by the time they came out to defend themselves.

When Mayor Nasser Jr.'s issued his statement regarding the incident on DZMM's Dos por Dos, not a few people drinking coffee that morning found themselves spitting their drink through their noses.

In the first part of his interview, Nasser Jr. said that it was Delfin Dela Paz who approached him and attacked him first.

Following his claim of self-defense, he explained certain golf rules in an effort to say that the Dela Paz's were the first to break these rules and therefore paint them as unruly members of the Golf Club. Then Nasser Jr. said that at the Tee House between holes 4 and 5, it was Delfin Dela Paz who approached him, cussed at him, and then poked him with an umbrella.

Comments posted to the Youtube video of Mayor Nasser Pangandaman's interview on DZMM's Dos por Dos is somewhat indicative of the public's opinion on his claim of self-defense. Of course, looking at the hundreds of comments on Bambi Dela Paz' blog also reveals public sentiments against the Pangandamans.

Even a lengthy article in the Philippine Daily Inquirer describing the illustrious and sterling reputation of the Pangandamans did little to save them from a virtual flogging in cyberspace.

In anycase, I've always doubted that the Court of Public Opinion when it comes to finding out the truth in anything.

Right now, Bambi Dela Paz along with her brother and father Delfin Dela Paz are being cast in the role of underdogs in a fight against the powerful Pangandamans. Bambi has even been referred to the spokesperson in the media storm that has followed the wake of what has been called the Valley Golf Brawl.

Bambi seems to be the natural choice as spokesperson for the Dela Paz', however, I doubt the soundness of the advice that probably led her to say: "Sana po mapalabas nila ang katotohanan. Sana 'di sila [magpadala] sa kahit anong impluwensya (I hope they will be able to come out with the truth. I hope they will not be swayed by influence)," Bambee dela Paz asked the NBI during an interview with ABS-CBN's Umagang Kay Ganda.

It insinuates that if the NBI's investigation into the Valley Golf Brawl doesn't bolster their side of the story, then the NBI must be working under the influence of the powerful Pangandamans. This isn't fair at all, is it?

Then there is this rather lengthy post in Love Versus Vodka, a blog I stumbled upon, that gives Mayor Nasser Pangandaman Jr.'s side of the story.

The world is indeed screwed. Pangadaman side of story here.

The dela Paz siblings should be banned from jungolf & all golf courses.

They were a flight of two when the club prohibited it bacause it was a holiday. They went ahead & teed off + hit mulliganin hole 4 (par 3) w/o any warning when the flight of the Pangandamans was still walking to there balls to putt/pitch there 2nd shots. In hole 5 (par 4), they again teed off w/o warning when the Pangandaman players didn't even hit their 2nd shots yet.

The Pangandamans peacefully proceeded with their game. They told the club marshall that dela Paz flight can go ahead. Delfin dela paz went to Mayor Pangandaman, shouted "PI mo, hindi mo ba ako kilala, member ka ba dito?". dela Paz hit Mayor Pangandaman with his umbrella. The mayors older brother got the umbrella from dela Paz' hand. dela Paz punched the Mayors brother . Bino dela Paz grabbed a golf club & hit the Mayor.

The Pangandamans wanted to leave the golf club when another dela Paz group attacked the Pangandamans with bats & ice picks at the main club house. - Testimonies from witnesses will prove that dela paz clan are liars. Mayor Nasser Pangandaman Jr. was awarded, "The Most Outstanding Mayor in RP". Why will Mayor Pangandaman do something so low without being provoked? Delfin dela paz' arrogance started the fight.Real story:Your voices have been heard and now it’s time for us to let everyone know the real story regarding the incident in Valley Golf…..

An investigation has been initiated and we suggest we let it take its course. The other party has also aired its side. And it will be prudent to just wait for the results of the investigation. We pray and believe that the truth will come out and the issue be put to rest once and for all.

Below is a true and actual narration of the incident that happened last December 26, 2008 at the Valley Golf Club, Antipolo, Rizal.

On December 26, 2008 at around 11:00am, our group composed of Rene Maglanque, Sec. Nasser Panagandaman, Arnel Estacio and Atty. Faisal Abdullah registered to play with the Valley Golf on the first (1st) flight of our group. The second (2nd) flight was composed of Hussein Pangandaman, Adnan Pacasum, Nasser Pangandaman, Jr. and Farah Locsin. We also registered the eight year old son of Hussein named Angelo Pangandaman whom they cannot leave behind the clubhouse as there will be no one to take care of him.

Nasser Pangandaman, Jr. and Farah Locsin were late. They caught up with their flight (2nd) at hole no. 4 accompanied by a marshall and their caddies riding on two golf carts and in the process overtaking the flight of Mr. Delfin de la Paz who reacted by protesting what seems to be an overtaking of flight. Nasser Jr. explained to the elder De la Paz that they will just catch up and join their flight mates at hole no. 4. He further explained that they, who like them, had earlier lined up to play and were pre-registered. With the said explanation, del Paz replied “Okey, kortesiya lang.”

When the 2nd flight of Nasser Jr. already played hole no. 4 which is a par 3 and Nasser Jr. was still outside of the green trying to pitch his ball into the green, the flight of dela Paz hit their shots into the green which almost hit Hussein without shouting “Fore!”. Surprised, though sensing trouble which they deemed to choose to avoid, they allowed the other Dela Paz player to hit his shot so they can peacefully resume and concentrate on their playing. At this point, the caddy of Nasser Jr also took the 8 year old Angelo to stay behind the golf cart to avoid being hit by golf balls coming from the dela Paz players.

On the next hole which is hole no. 5, after the 2nd Pangandaman flight hit their drives into the fairway and before they could hit their second shots, again the dela Paz players hit their drives without warning by shouting “fore”! the 2nd Pangandaman flight puzzled and surprised asked themselves why the flight behind them were doing this to them since they could be hit by their golf balls. One caddy even said, “Ano ba yun?”


When the 2nd flight reached the green of hole no. 5 and after holing out, they joined the 1st flight of Sec. Pangandaman and took their snacks. While doing so, the marshall approached and told Nasser Jr. that the dela Paz’s were complaining why they were 5 of them in their group and why they overtook their flight. Nasser Jr. reiterated to the marshall what he explained to the elder dela Paz, which his knowledge the former already accepted his explanation.

Later, unconvinced even after the marshall relayed to him that there were only four (4) and not five (5) in their flight, and that they were not overtaking as they just had to go back to the clubhouse and later join their flight.

The elder dela Paz came and approached Nasser Jr. already agitated and pointing saying, “Mali ka! There were two carts in your flight and you overtook us!” Nasser Jr. answered, “Akala ko po, Sir, nagkaintindihan na ho tayo kanina”.

Explaining about them not overtaking yet elder dela Paz was not convinced , and at the top of his voice said, “Putang ina ka! Member ka ba dito, ha?, Hindi mo ba ako kilala?”

Nasser Jr. patiently and respectfully explained again to him their side, even using “po” and “Sir” – as a sign of respect without revealing that he is the Mayor of Masiu, Lanao del Sur, and replied, “Bakit po kayo sumisigaw? Hindi po tayo nag-aaway”.

The elder dela Paz reacted, “Ikaw ang naghahanap ng away!”, while pulling his umbrella and thrusted the pointed part and hit the belly of Nasser Jr., while the latter was backing up.

The marshall tried to intervene but the elder Dino dela Paz pressed on which prompted and led Hussein to defend his brother. Dela Paz punched Hussein and they engaged in a fist fight.

Meantine, Nasser Jr., prevented the two (2) younger dela Paz from joining the fight by saying, “Awat na, Awat na”. but they got away from him and went in between their father and Hussein. The two young dela Paz was able to hold Hussein preventing him to reach the elder dela Paz as if “umaawat”. Yet, Bino Lorenzo dela Paz kept punching Hussein in the face and Marie dela Paz from behind kept on scratching his face.

In one instance, the elder Dino dela Paz took hold of a golf club driver and tried to hit Hussein. But, Rene Maglanque was able to get hold of the driver’s shaft and took it away from him.

Later on, Sec. Pangandaman, Rene Maglanque, and another golfer from another flight pacified everybody and asked the dela Paz’s to just leave them to prevent further trouble. Delfin dela Paz called someone in his cellphone and we heard him say, “Punta kayo ditto! May away kami!”

The dela Paz’s left. And, after about ten minutes, our group also discontinued playing and went back to the clubhouse. When Hussein was hurrying up to the bathroom to relieve himself and wash his wounds, the elder Dino dela Paz accosted him and warned him in a threatening voice, “Ikaw mag-ingat ka! Hindi pa tayo tapos! Gagantihan kita!”

Blocking is way to the locker room, Hussein replied, “Hindi ka pa ba umaalis? Sumusobra ka na”, the young Bino Lorenzo went in the middle saying, “Huwag po, fourteen years old lang ako”, and yet having his fist ready to give him a punch.

Hence, Hussein defended himself and the three engaged in another fist fight. Maridel dela Paz came from behind Hussein and started scratching Hussein on the right cheek, the neck, and ear, while pulling and tearing his shirt.

Immediately after, they were prevented from further engaging in a fist fight by those present in the clubhouse, the security and other golfers. But the elder dela Paz still shouted “Gaganti ako. Hindi pa tayo tapos.”

The rest of the dela Paz family arrived, with the eldest son carrying a baseball bat. The wife in “duster” with a bladed weapon in hand, as if ready to assault Hussein. They were likewise prevented by the clubhouse security and other golfers present.

At this point, Sec. Pangandaman told his sons to leave already and the dela Paz’s to stop and leave, so that no more untoward incident would happen. Soon, we also left but we had to leave through the parking exit because the dela Paz family was waiting for us at the clubhouse lobby.

Blogging for Greenbacks (Part One)

A long time friend Yet Abad for pointed me to Technorati's State of the Blogosphere 2008 report. It is a hefty and hearty article about how blogs are continuing to change the way people interact and do business on the internet.

One section of the report which caught my attention is Blogging for Profit. It points to the established relevance of blogs to the field of marketing and advertising.

Tehcnorati says:

Blogs are an increasingly attractive platform for advertisers. The majority of bloggers we surveyed have advertising on their blogs. Marketers realize that bloggers are creating high quality content and attracting growing, loyal audiences.

More than offering testimonials, blogs sometimes give more involved and more personal analysis of products, services, events, and personalities from a credible source. As far as blogs are concerned, credibility is not solely based on one’s expertise but also the strength and span of one’s connection within a community.

Blogs sway popular opinion

A blog by your friendly Tito Boy (as in Rex Navarete’s Tito Boy) ranting about the virtues of Adobo oil as a lubricatant can be as influential as say Yugatech’s blog raving over the virtues of his I-Phone. In anycase, this means that blogs have a greater ability to convince people to use of a product/service or support a movement/personality.

A local (Philippine) and more recent (December 2008) case that illustrates this point is the firestorm that exploded over Bambi Dela Paz’ blog. The entry basically told about how Masiu Mayor Nasser Pangandaman allegedly beat up her father and brother at the Valley Golf and Country Club. More than three hundred people commented on the post and with scores of bloggers linking up their blogs to Bambi’s.

Perhaps Bambi’s blog created the media storm or perhaps it was main news media organizations that popularized her blog. It could be part blog buzz and part tipping point, because certainly, somewhere in Bambi’s circle is a news reporter or media personality of some importance.

However and whatever happened, the conflagration in cyberspace apparently created enough pressure to get government agencies such as the Department of Justice and the National Bureau of Investigation to issue formal statements regarding the matter.

Moving public opinion is one thing, but earning money from blogging is a whole different ball game.

Earning money from your blog

I am one of the probable millions who have fallen for the lure of making money from blogging. For some time now, my failed attempts of realizing a significant level of income have laid the basis for substantial personal doubt on the matter.

Technorati’s 2008 Blogosphere report, however, shows some proof that people actually do earn from blogging. It says that:

The average annual blogger revenue is more than $6,000. However, this is skewed by the top 1% of bloggers who earn $200k+. Among active bloggers that we surveyed, the average income was $75,000 for those who had 100,000 or more unique visitors per month (some of whom had more than one million visitors each month). The median annual income for this group is significantly lower — $22,000.

Bloggers with advertising invest an average of $1,800 annually in their blogs. U.S. bloggers earn an average of $5,000, though bloggers in Asia earn 50% more on average and European bloggers earn an average of 75% more than U.S. bloggers. High revenue bloggers skew the mean revenue. The median revenue for U.S. bloggers is $200 annually (and the median annual investment is only $50).

Most of blog earners in the survey conducted by Technorati for its report receive income by carrying search ads, display ads, and affiliate marketing on their blogs.

Among the more popular programs is Google Adsense which basically pays blog owners a few cents to a couple of dollars when their visitors click on the Google Ad displayed their site.

(Next up: My Experience with Google Adsense)

Pangandaman Jr.-Dela Paz golf feud wouldn't have happened with jolens

Only in the Philippines does carnage over golf rules turn into a national issue.

When the story of Delfin and Bino Dela Paz broke, my heart went out to the father and son who were allegedly beaten up by the son of Secretary Nasser Pangandaman Sr.

Had a fight broken out in Balic-Balic, Sampaloc over the rules of jolen, it would have been quickly resolved at Presinto Kwatro (half of which has been demolished to make way for the rehabilitation of PNRC line).

All the brawlers would probably spend some time in jail and the incident would have probably merited a paragraph or two in some tabloid. Then, the incident would be forgotten and people would probably go back to playing jolens.

The social dynamics surrounding the Pangandaman-Dela Paz feud in Valley Golf are, of course, imbued with a higher level of significance.

Some bloggers have portrayed it as a case of an official abusing their power and authority. Others have made it into a commentary about the character of Pangandaman Senior and Junior, questioning their fitness for the public offices they hold. Still more people have used it question the rule of law.

But, I for one, want to take it for what it is: It was a brawl.

So file the charges and let justice be done.

Mayor Nasser Pangandaman says it was self defense

I just heard Masiu City Mayor Nasser Pangandaman Jr. give his side regarding the violent incident at the Valley Golf Club on December 26, 2008.

I am uploading an audio recording of an interview he gave through DZMM's Dos por Dos with Gerry Baja and Anthony Taberna this morning (December 29, 2008).

For the past several days, the Pangandamans have been pilloried in the press and their silence had been taken for guilt. In the interest of fairness, I am posting this excerpt of the interview of Nasser Jr.

Basically, his defense is that 56 year old Delfin Dela Paz attacked him first and what followed was self-defense. According to Pangandaman Jr., the two got into a heated arguement at the Teehouse on Hole Number 5. He claims that the physical altercation ensued after Delfin poked him with an umbrella.

I hope other witnesses do come out.

Click here to access it on Youtube.

Mayor Nasser Pangandaman beats up father and son

When I opened by Facebook account this morning, I saw that Political Jaywalker aka Pedestrian Observer had tagged me in a photo of Kingkong. I smiled a bit and didn't follow the link, passing it off as one of those jokes.

The next thing that caught my attention was Political Jaywalker's status update regarding the Pangandamans and read up on it.

Phew! That really got my blood boiling.

Just a few minutes ago, I spotted a note posted by Susan Ople on Facebook which contained copy from Bambi Dela Paz' blog. The note recounted the incident where Masiu City Mayor Nasser Pangandaman Junior beat up her father and younger brother at the Valley Golf Club. (You can read her blog entry in Vicissitude here.)

Here is part of her entry:

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 (Nasser Pangandaman Jr.) 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.

Nasser Jr. 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?!

Some 250 comments were posted on this entry and many were from friends, a few from journalists.

I've never met Nasser Pangandaman Jr. and so far I haven't heard his side. If he has something to say in his defense before the court of public opinion, he ought to speak up now.

Nevertheless, even on the face of it, there seems to be no reason for the Mayor of Masiu to beat up a 56 year old man and his 14 year old son.

Being physically stronger than the old man and the boy as well as having the advantage of numbers, Nasser Pangandaman Junior ought to have avoided a physical altercation. Could he plead self defense against an old man and a child?

Moreover, Nasser Jr. should have put it in his mind that he is a Mayor and his father is a Cabinet Official. Such people are supposed to adhere to higher standards of morality and decency.

Somebody had once said that being a mayor or a leader is about giving life, in tagalog, 'Ang pagiging Mayor or lider ay pagbibigay-buhay, hindi hanapbuhay.' More to the point, it is not about beating people up.

Did they think that their power and influence will allow them to act like common buffoons with impunity? Is this how they conduct themselves in their home province of Lanao Del Sur?

Both father and son are Muslims, as far as I know. Filipino Muslims have been treated badly in the press and there have been attempts to counter this, showing that not all of them are gun toting and kris wielding juramentados out to kill every Christian in sight. However, what the Pangandamans did might put their people in bad light, especially here in Metro Manila.

Is it true that the Pangandamans are warlords in their hometown?

By golly! Then they ought to meet the warlords here in Balic-Balic, Sampaloc.

DAR Secretary Pangandaman stood by while his son beat up fellow golfers

Nasser Pangandaman, mayor of Masiu, Lanao del Sur, should have a pretty good explanation of why he beat up a fourteen year old at the Valley Golf Club.

In the Inquirer's report, the Pangandamans have chosen to remain mum about the incident:

(Excerpt from the Inquirer)

Efforts to reach Secretary Pangandaman for comment yesterday proved fruitless. His cell phone was off. The public information officer of the Department of Agrarian Reform promised to call the Inquirer as soon as he got in touch with the secretary but he had not done so at press time Saturday.

The thing is, I think I know someone who knows Mayor Nasser and will wait to hear their side of the story before spewing bile on this horrid incident.

If the account of the victims are true, the least we should expect the government to do is to investigate Mayor Nasser immediately and suspend him. The DILG and the Office of the Ombudsman should act MOTU PROPRIO on reports of such incidents.

(Excerpt from the Inquirer)

De la Paz said the incident started when the Pangandamans broke golf etiquette by playing out of turn and over-taking the De la Paz family at the South Course of the Valley Golf and Country Club.

In an interview, De la Paz, 56, said he and his two children—daughter Bambee, 18, and son Bino, 14—were playing golf and were on Hole No. 3 when two golf carts bearing the Pangandamans and their friends overtook them.

Aside from the Pangandamans, the group also included Paysal Abdulaa, Mohammed Hussein, Abdan Pacasuna, Rene Maglaque and Arnel Astacio.

Dela Paz said he complained to the marshal and when the two groups caught up with each other at the tee house on hole No. 5, an altercation ensued.

De la Paz said that at the height of the altercation, Nasser Jr. suddenly attacked him and his son, punching and kicking them and shouting: “Hindi mo ba ako nakikilala? (Don’t you know me?)”

Bambee de la Paz, who witnessed everything, said the younger Pangandaman continued to attack even when his brother was already on his knees pleading for him to stop.

Dela Paz’s 14 year-old boy suffered various facial, head and back injuries due to the blows he received.

This raises the question, does Mayor Nasser display the same kind of behavior in Masiu? Is this the kind of leader that the town of Masiu deserves? What does this say of Muslims?

Does Mayor Nasser feel that he has a right to beat up people because of his high political station and because of his father's influence within the Arroyo Administration?

Even if the fourteen year old had done something which had provoked Mayor Nasser, beating a kid up is certainly no way to teach a lesson. Was the young Pangandaman beaten up by his father as a kid?

I just hope that Mr. Delfin de la Paz, his children Bambee and Bino (the one who got beaten up) continue with filing their case against the Pangandamans.

Certainly, the Secretary and Mayor will exert all their influence to resolve the case amicably . But, for the sake of all those who have been victimized by abusive government officials, the Dela Paz family should not be swayed and file the case.