MANILA, Philippines ? (UPDATE) Businessman Delfin dela Paz and his 14-year-old son, Bino, filed separate charges of physical injuries against the two sons of Agrarian Reform Secretary Nasser Pangandaman Sr. on Monday, after a brawl between the two families on a golf course in Antipolo last December.

The Dela Pazes? named brothers Hussein and Nasser Pangandaman Jr., the mayor of Masiu, Lanao del Sur, as respondents in the complaint they filed with the Antipolo prosecutors? office at 8 a.m.

The family's legal counsel, Raymond Fortun, said they had no reason to include Pangandaman Sr. in the complaints yet but that they were set to go to the Ombudsman on Wednesday to seek the preventive suspension of the secretary "so as not to derail the investigation."

The older Dela Paz said, "I'm a very small man. We're not used to this. But we have to seek justice. It has been very traumatic for Bino," referring to the melee at the Valley Golf and Country Club last December 26.

Siblings Bino and Marie Dhel "Bambee" dela Paz stood side by side the whole time at the prosecutor's office, intermittently whispering to each other and placing a hand at each other's backs. At one point, Bambee was heard telling Bino, "Just relax."

The siblings refused to be interviewed by media and referred questions to their lawyer.

Fortun said the secretary was not merely "sitting there" as the Pangandamans? bodyguards mauled the Dela Pazes following an argument over the use of the golf course. He said the elder Pangandaman shouted invectives and his actions were not "befitting a person of his rank," said Fortun.

He added that if Pangandaman Sr. had acted differently "the incident would not have escalated."

"If the investigation shows that the secretary was involved, then we would amend the complaint," Fortun added.

He told reporters that there could be "room for settlement" but that they should first see a "sincere effort" from the Pangandamans to make amends. "They have to admit their mistake and compensate for whatever damage the incident caused the [Dela Paz] family," Fortun said.

Teodoro Pastrana, lawyer of the Pangandamans, said they would agree to a settlement if there were "no unnecessary demands."

Pastrana said they did not think there would be a need for Secretary Pangandaman Sr. to resign, go on leave or be suspended and questioned the Dela Pazes? fear of pressure from the agrarian reform secretary to scrap their complaints.

He added that the elder Pangandaman apologized to the public and not to the Dela Paz family.

The complaint-affidavit of Bino accused Nasser Jr. of two counts, and Hussein of one count, of violation of Section 10(a) of Republic Act No. 7610 or the "Special Protection of Children against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act."

If the charge of child abuse were proven, Fortun said the respondents would face a minimum of six years while the involvement of a public official could aggravate the sentence to nine to 12 years.

The older Dela Paz charged the Pangandaman brothers of two counts of slight physical injuries and maltreatment.

Three companions of the Pangandamans were included in the complaint but were not named.

The penalty, Fortun said, would depend on the extent of injury and they expected one to six months for the beating the older Dela Paz got.

The complaints would be referred to a prosecutor for joint preliminary investigation.