MANILA, Philippines—The son of Agrarian Reform Secretary Nasser Pangandaman and several persons beat up a 14-year-old boy and his father at a golf course in Antipolo on Friday, the victims complained Saturday.

The alleged attackers were identified as Nasser Pangandaman Jr., mayor of Masiu, Lanao del Sur, and his golfing companions and armed bodyguards. The victims, Delfin de la Paz and his family, said the Agrarian Reform secretary witnessed the incident at the Valley Golf Club but did not stop his son and their bodyguards from attacking the victims.

De la Paz filed the complaint immediately after the incident on Friday with the Antipolo police, who said the charges, including child abuse, would be filed on Monday.

Breach of etiquette

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.

Bambee, in an e-mail to friends, said they decided to stop playing and retreated to the clubhouse to seek medical attention, but their attackers followed them there. This time joined by their bodyguards, the Pangandaman group again attacked father and son. Bambee said two of the mayor’s bodyguards even pulled out their guns.

She said that while Secretary Pangandaman did not participate in the attacks, he did not lift a finger to stop his son and his companions from beating the victims. None of the golf club’s security guards and managers tried to stop the beating.

‘Golfers are decent’

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

“This is a golf course. I have been a golfer all my life and I have never seen anything like this,” Bambee said. “And I though golfers were decent people. You would think politicians were decent people. I guess not.”

Bambee and Bino de la Paz are both outstanding junior golfers. Bambee is on vacation from the University of Cincinnati where she is a golf scholar. Bino is one of the top golfers in his age group.

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.