DAR Chief Nasser Pangandaman Appeal to Bloggers & My Appeal

January 5- News update Pangandaman kin face child abuse, injury raps over golf ‘brawl’ and Pangandamans file countersuit over golf brawl.

DAR Chief Nasser Pangandaman Appeal to Bloggers

Appeal to bloggers

Since Bambee’s blog, the story about the incident in the golf club spread through the Internet.

Bloggers condemned and some even put up a signature campaign for the Pangandamans’ resignation.

Pangandaman said his family is hurting because of the bad picture being painted on his name and family.

He appealed to bloggers to stop accusing them on the Web. The secretary even warned bloggers against karma.

“I appeal to the bloggers to stop this. They also have their families, they have parents and siblings. Our family is already hurting. I hope this doesn’t happen to you (bloggers),” the secretary said.

And here is my appeal to you:

Yes, DAR Chief Pangandaman, I hear you and I am just waiting for an Official Statement from your son Mayor Nasser Pangandaman, Jr. I only have unverified statements that did not come from your camp. Should Mayor Pangandaman not speak for himself? In the quest for fairness, I would also like to share the Mayor’s Official Statement to my readers.

I know your family is hurting just like the de la paz family. I hope that you allow justice to take its full course once the Prosecutor sees the charges on January 5. It is not surprising that some of us are calling for a signature campaign for a Pangandaman resignation. It is difficult for me to comprehend the fact that a 14 year old boy was beaten up not ONCE but twice.

Even if you say that Delfin de la Paz provoked you, the facts (based on incident report) are and which has to be proven in the Court of Law that :

1. a 14 year old had a bloodied ear and bruises on his face. (Possible violation of RA 7610 or the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act)

2. You and your sons are public servants that should uphold the law. (Possible violation of Republic Act No. 6713 or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees)

Photo screen cap taken from this GMA news video

A friend and senator Pia Cayetano in a comment in my blog entry says it all:

Whatever the story is, whatever versions there are, there is no justification for beating up people.. and a child! There is no excuse for such brutality.

No one has the right, not even a public official to take matters into his own hands. In fact, a public official should be the first to maintain peace and order.

Public office is a public trust. And the public officials involved here should make themselves available for investigation.

Photo screen cap of Bino’s injured ear from ABS CBN Video on January 2, 2009

I am condemning the actions particularly on the 14 year old boy that was beaten twice. The incident report (filed by the Security Department of Antipolo’s Valley Golf and Country Club (VGCC) on that melee involving the Pangandamans and Dela Pazes) clearly reveals that the security men witnessed the bloodied conditions of 56-year-ols Delfin Dela Paz and 14-year-ols son ‘Bibo’.

Watch video here of 14 year old Bino as he tearfully recounts his ordeal

As the 14 year old boy and the father continued to be beaten up as you watched, were you sensitive to their physical and emotional pain? Did you feel their pain? Are you aware that the the 14 year old boy is now traumatized to play golf?

Think about it.

But ask yourself, why do the bloggers continue to write about their outrage and public opinion. Why did I write about this? I see my son in the 14 year old Bino. I feel the pain of the boy as he saw his father being beaten up. I felt a tug in my heart as the boy continued to plead to you and your sons to stop the beating. Though I can’t speak for other bloggers, maybe they see their brother or father in the de la paz and wouldn’t want this to happen to them too. I didn’t have to convince bloggers to blog about it. If people want to be part of the signature campaign for Pangandamans’ resignation, it is their choice. We just share our story and bloggers and readers pick it up. The Warrior Lawyer has a theory though in his entry Why the Pangandaman Issue Refuses to die or at Least Abate.

So the Pangandamans are not up against the bloggers, as they seem to believe, but a cultural conception that has been with us for decades, if not centuries.

A fellow blogger provides unsolicited advice on How Do You Weather a Blogging Storm? where he lists down 3 ways to diffuse the issue.

Until this has been resolved, I will continue to follow this story. However, I can only speak for myself . Other bloggers can choose to blog or not. It is their choice.

It is true that we will have our karma. As we continue to discuss this in our blogs, and Plurk, we will surely have our Plurk Karma raised to nirvana.

(You might also want to read a different angle of the story, facts taken from the fact-finding committee by rge (as relayed by the head of the fact-finding committee) in pinoygolfer.com

Online Petition for Pangandamans’ Resignation

Resignations of DAR Sec. Nasser Pangandaman and son Mayor Nasser of Masiu, Lanoa del Sur

If you want to sign up, here is the signature campaign for Pangandamans’ resignation