well, we are certainly getting a taste of blogger power. for sure nayanig ang pangandamans, father and sons, by the virulence and volume of the blogging community’s outrage over the alleged mauling of the de la paz father and son, as witnessed and blogged by daughter bambee.
not surprisingly the brawl has spread out to the blogosphere where some commenters — admittedly few, but consistent and persistent — dare rain on the parade of the many who are on “people power” mode and screaming for the heads, so to speak, of the dar secretary and his mayor son.
blogger brianb, commenting on a post in filipino voices, calls it “unprincipled advocacy”, the way that blogger friends of, and friends of friends who sympathize with, the de la pazes are so quick to jump on the bandwagon.
Concerned citizens cannot keep doing this, running to the aid of persons who get victimized by politicians. There’s no progress in this sort of unprincipled advocacy. The blogosphere shouldn’t be used as an extension of your family connections and friendship networks… not that I forbid people but in my thinking this can be a more powerful medium, something that will actually change policies and attitudes.
When the politicos were going after the poor, their lands and their rights, what did themiddle class do? Nothing. When the politicos went after the press, what did the middle class do? Nothing. Now they are starting to come at you and your previous apathy has made you as weak as (a) puking baby.”
oo nga naman. besides, as he suggests in another comment, we still have to hear the side of the pangandamans. not that he condones, nor do i, the violence allegedly perpetrated on the de la paz father and son, but he does question, as do i, the rush to judgement (as usual) before we get the whole story.
… I think the case is based on a few omissions of facts and rallying behind this ON A PERSONAL level is a total waste of our time. I doubt if the politicos were totally unprovoked and GMA reports there were a couple of older sons who went to aid the family with baseball bats, which is why the guns were pulled out. Moreover, a few brave souls may be bullied to take this to the next level, but then what? Will these bloggers go public with it? After the first bluster, wala na. Maybe they finally realized who they’re dealing with. So I don’t think you can trust these people who are very vocal now to commit.
My take is very simple: public servants with armed bodyguards should not physically engage the public. This is the larger ethical arc, of which this case should’ve been a good example.”
interesting though how personal blog(ger)s turned political just like that. too bad it’s not sustainable. yet.
The EQ “No Brainer “Test:Who will eventually be blamed for the golf brawl?
1)The 56 year old dad and his 14 year old son
2)Nasser Jr. and his bodyguards
3)The probe body will find the De La Paz family (56 year-old dad and 14 year-old son) and Nasser Jr. and bodyguards EQUALLY GUILTY.
4)”It didn’t happen at all” (no witnesses!)
Angela,
The fact that a public official gets involve in a “brawl” which is actually beating a 14 yr. old boy and his 56 years old father senseless is enough for people and bloggers to react because public officials are held on a higher standards. What this shows clearly whether they are on the “right” which I doubt very much is that a leader so incapable of using reason is a danger to himself and society at large.
How about instead of complaining we figure out ways to sustain this to raise peoples awareness on the state of pathetic politics under the Garcified presidency……
pogb ;) umm, hindi naman “senseless” ‘no, which would mean they lost their senses? and i’m not complaining, just nanghihinayang sa babaw advocacy of what could be a powerful political force. how to raise awareness? there’s no rushing the process. the doj investigation should help, one way or another…
This incident reveals the predicament of the concerned citizen —- lack of credible information.
hey antonio ;) indeed, which is really a failure of mainstream media…
dear Pinsan Angie,
1st of all, belated holiday seasons’ greetings to you and the Umali-Stuart clan. Also, belated condolence to the lost of a member in the family as I had read in this blog.
On this issue,Is it believable for a 14-yr old teen and aging dad to beat a bruised-free middle-age men with an armed-body guards. Regardless of who started the verbal complaint, such violent acts by public officials cannot be condoned. They must set the example of physical restraint as govt officals and not boasting as “kilala mo ba kami??”
Unprincpled advocacy is not the issue, it is the unprincipled character of the present govt officials.
Its good to cry-foul and seek justice thru the bloggers, thats the only option available to ordinary citizens now, esp. when u have a secretary of (in)justice like Raul G.
rgds,jojie
uy jojie, kumusta, same to you and salamat ;) hay naku, tungkol sa bugbugan blues sa valley golf, ang balita is, si delapaz ang naunang magyabang, siya ang maysabing, “hindi mo ba ako kilala” chuchu, so nagsampahan na sila ng kaso sa korte, abangan…
Clash of ego ang nangyari.. isang mayaman at isang politico…. pang maykaya lang ang golf e di ba… status symbol…. pati anak ni dela paz e naglalaro… gentleman’s game daw ang golf…PWE! ang asal ng mga yan e hoodlum…pare-pareho kayo.
imbes na pairalin ang pasensya at tumawag ng marshall… sportman ba
ang mga yan? binaboy lang ang spirit of golf…
yang mga pulitikong mga yan, ang yayabang pati mga bodyguards… e sineswelduhan lang naman ng taumbayan…akala mo na kung sino.. idamay niyo pa yang mga pulis, militar, konsehal at pati hamak na barangay tanod…
Kaya lang kung iisipin, yang mga dela Paz e mayaman din kasi(kaya afford maggolf)…tinamaan ang mga ego sa paglalaro ng golf due to violation of rules… away ng mga mayayabang at may ere…nagpa-awa effect din na kesyo matanda na yung tatay… tapos yung anak e may hangin din sa ulo..nakikita naman sa pagsasalita e.. paingles-ingles…
gaya sa badminton sa corporate, daming mayabang din(gaya ng duktor na ulol na naglalaro sa centro-inihian ko sasakyan mo gago!) at ngayon lang yata nakapaglaro ng competitive game… hindi nakakaintindi ng pagkatalo or sportsmanship…mga PWE!!!
talaga naman. yan din mismo ang say ni tommy manotoc sa inquirer: Egos, personalities — recipe for disaster:
“The sad event that happened recently at Valley Golf and Country Club in Antipolo City is not uncommon: a member feeling piqued after thinking that his rights in the club were trampled on.
“A day after Christmas, members belonging to two groups came to blows at the tee house next to hole No. 5 because of a misunderstanding over the most sacred rule of the game: etiquette.
“The groups clashed in the tee house, and later on in the clubhouse, on the very narrow corridor leading to the men’s locker room.
“Incidents such as these are the nightmares of every golf club. Egos fly high especially on the golf course where members of the club have to get along.
“With the game becoming so popular, all sorts of personalities and egos enter the premises of the club on any given day, quite a potent recipe for disaster, if not handled properly.
“Looking deeper, could we have missed the point when we read the stories on the incident recently?
“It may not be necessary to find out who was at fault between the two camps.
“Separating the two parties after the initial encounter at the tee house and making certain that their paths did not cross within the club’s premises throughout the rest of the day could have been one of the initial and immediate actions taken.
“In hindsight, this could have prevented the incident from escalating.
“Here’s hoping that a peaceful settlement will be reached for the sake of peace and harmony—things that this wonderful game can bring.”
http://sports.inquirer.net/inquirersports/inquirersports/view/20090107-181833/Egos,_personalities%97recipe_for_disaster