Sandigan guard to brawl with American to help ailing brother

A night-shift guard at the Sandiganbayan will be slugging it out with an American champion tonight in a mixed martial arts tournament at Fort Bonifacio in Makati City, not for fame but to help keep his younger brother alive.

Pedro Dalaguit will challenge the foreigner in the "Ultimate Fight" at Tent City in the hope of earning enough money that could pay for the medical expenses of his brother Bonifacio, who suffers from tuberculosis and ulcers.

Bonifacio Dalaguit, now confined at the Quezon Institute (QI), is a tricycle driver with a wife and five children.

"I’m deep in debt. I’m very much ashamed here because I keep coming back to borrow money from my colleagues. I used to fight before. I think somehow I can go home with some prize money for my ailing brother," the guard said.

Daily expenses at the QI, where Bonifacio has been confined for over a month, range from P3,000 to P4,000, he added.

"We were told by the doctor that my brother should leave because of our unpaid hospital bills. But I insisted that he stay, because the moment they remove the oxygen, that would be his final moment," Dalaguit said of his emaciated brother.

"I told my sister-in-law, don’t leave. We will fight it out till the end. My brother has nothing, he’s only a tricycle driver," he said.

Dalaguit will be engaged in all kinds of fights tonight — karate vs boxing, wrestling vs valetudo, aikido and many others.

The court guard said he approached the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office for some assistance, but was told "there are no more funds for such kind of assistance."