Wednesday, September 19, 2007 Gabi, dad issue public apology By Charles Raymond A. Maxey
* Father, son regret move to leave Piñol camp
DIOSDADO "Prince" Gabi and his father Diosdado Sr. on Tuesday issued a public apology to North Cotabato Vice Gov. Emmanuel Piñol, saying the Davao City boxer's decision to leave the training camp of his patron in Kidapawan City a couple of years back was a blunder on the part of the family.
In a statement signed by the two individuals and furnished to the media, the boxer and his dad also cleared Piñol of all negative insinuations hurled against the politician that stemmed from the case filed by Piñol and his brother Noli against Prince Gabi in court.
The Gabis emphasized that the vice governor and his brother have no intention of getting the boxer back purposely to gain a share of the Prince's fight purse, and that the Piñols never took any single centavo from the boxer's purse in all his seven fights when he was still under their supervision.
"Kini butang-butang lamang ug walay kamatuoran (These are fabricated and all lies)," the father and son said in the statement titled "A Public Apology."
"Nagbasol kami sa maong sayop nga panghitabo ug nagapangayo mi ug dispensa kang Governor Manny ug Noli Piñol (We have regretted our mistake and we apologized to Governor Piñol and Noli Piñol)," the Gabis added, referring to their decision to leave the Piñol camp and fly to the United States with one Mike Koncz.
It can be noted that the Gabis still addressed Piñol as North Cotabato governor in their letter of apology.
Prince and his father are hoping that their apology through the radio and the print media will settle once and for all their differences with the Piñols.
The differences started when Prince Gabi left Piñol sometime in 2005 and traveled to the United States without asking permission from his benefactor.
Piñol, who was then the governor of North Cotabato, filed a case of other deceits before the Municipal Trial Court in Cities Branch 2 under Judge Antonina Escovilla against Gabi for suddenly leaving camp in Kidapawan back in 2005.
Gabi eventually fought for a world title, but lost to then champion Vic Darchinyan via an eight-round knockout in a fight staged in California.
Last July, Gabi was one of the five Filipino boxers who won their bouts as the Philippines grabbed the World Cup from Mexico in Sacramento, California.
When the boxer came home to Davao after that conquest, he was arrested by the police based on the standing warrant against him stemming from the case filed by Piñol.
Both the complainant and the respondent were eventually asked by the MTCCC Branch 2 to settle their differences and gave them 60 days to patch up.
Piñol had earlier said he will only drop the case if Gabi and his father issue a public apology.
