Webster, 38, is still at the ICU of the Guam Regional Medical Center. Photo: Supplied / Mark Rabago
The sister of a 38-year-old salesman in Saipan, who was left paralysed after a brawl during a basketball game three weeks ago, is crying out for justice.
Sheila Taracatac alleges that local authorities have not taken any action since her brother, Webster, was beaten up by "10 people", leaving him paralysed from the shoulder down.
Webster, an employee of Pacific Grocer, sustained the traumatic injury on 21 March at the Gillette Multi-Purpose Center in the Gualo Rai settlement. He remains in the intensive care at the Guam Regional Medical Center.
Sheila said it would take years of therapy before her brother, a native of Tuguegarao, Cagayan in the Philippines, regains his mobility, if at all.
"It will take therapy from 2-3 years and we don't even know if he's going to walk," she said.
"As of now, he [has] had surgery on his spinal. He will have another surgery again this time for a pacemaker.
"Just imagine the effect of that basketball game. Now he needs to have a pacemaker because the blood flow to his brain is weak because his heart doesn't work properly."
She said Webster, who goes by his maiden name Gontar in basketball circles in Saipan, injured the mid-neck region of his cervical spine.
Her message to those involved in his brother's injury is to grow a conscience.
"Why did they gang up on him? He doesn't deserve the beating of 10 people versus one who's already lying down.
"If they're guilty, they should be punished for what they did. How do they sleep at night?"
She claims a person in the crowd also punched her brother for no apparent reason while he was lying down on the ground.
She said the organisers running the league only approached their family when they found out the severity of Webster's injuries.
"They said that they will help. They said that they will solicit funds. But we don't need money. We need justice. We need justice because of what they did to my sibling."
Sheila said what pains their family more is the inaction of the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) Department of Public Safety (DPS), which until now, has no update on her brother's case.
"The moment something like that happened and the next day, after three days, it's now three weeks and still no action."
'He won't be able to play basketball'
A check with DPS showed that they forwarded Webster's case to the Office of Attorney-General (OAG) two weeks ago, only for the OAG to return it to DPS last week as it needed more investigation.
DPS deputy chief and acting public information officer Simon Manacop said before DPS sent the case to the OAG, the recommendation was to file aggravated assault charges on the perpetrators.
He confirmed that OAG has sent back the case to DPS, and it is now with the Criminal Investigation Bureau.
Now, Webster's family hopes DPS would add frustrated murder charges against his attackers. Sheila said her brother's life actually would've been cut short if he wasn't flown to Guam via helicopter the morning after the attack.
Sheila said their prayers for his brother is for God to grant him a miracle and restore him to his previous robust and good health.
"Obviously, he won't be able to play basketball after this, right? Not only that, he won't be able to work, he won't be able to walk.
"He's angry because he didn't do anything wrong. If you get to know him, he has a lot of friends.
"He doesn't smoke or drink and his only hobbies are fishing, taking care of his chickens, and, of course, basketball."
Webster's girlfriend, Leilani Abuel, was also emotional when he spoke to Marianas Press via phone from Guam, where she is caring for Webster.
"I just want him to continue praying. I hope he can feel his lower chest up to his feet so that he can continue receiving therapy."
Abuel said, at first, she did not know that Webster was at the middle of the scuffle during the fateful basketball game.
However, when the fracas died down and she saw him still lying on the floor complaining of no feeling on his lower extremities, she charged the opposing team's bench and berated them.
"I said, 'what you did to him is not right...one against all of you?'"
'This is not a joke'
As for what they want to happen to those who attacked Webster, Abuel echoed Sheila's plea.
"We will really go after them," she said.
"We will really file a case. Because this is not a joke. To those who hurt him, I don't know how are you still able to sleep well at night because of what you did to him.
"What you did to him...the damage is too big because half of his body can't move and we don't know when he will be able to return to health."
She is saddened that her boyfriend is now effectively paralysed from the shoulder down because of a simple misunderstanding in basketball.
"Just because of basketball, right? Not because of the job, not because of income, but because of a person. You know, life. It's just like a simple basketball that you're fighting for. A simple trophy."
Sheila and Abuel also thanked everyone who donated to Webster's GoFundMe account, which as of 12 April, has more than $2700 in donations.
Abuel also extended her and Webster's appreciation to the manager of his basketball team who flew to Guam to personally hand the individual championship trophy to the injured power forward.
Call for proper organising
Northern Mariana Islands Basketball Federation (NMIBF) president James Lee advocated for referees that officiate leagues outside the responsibility of the federation to go through proper and updated training.
"[We need] proper guidelines, proper training, rather than just anyone that say they're basketball players, all of a sudden they're a bona fide referee.
"Anyone can say, 'I'm FIBA certified.' Well, when was the last time you were FIBA certified? Because I checked with FIBA headquarters and no one on island is FIBA certified.
"And if you went through a FIBA or basketball federation class 10, 15 years ago, you think you're still FIBA certified?"
Lee, a former CNMI national basketball player, said he also sympathises with Webster's family.
"Of course, we feel bad. I mean, we didn't want any of those to happen to any person, any athlete and stuff like that. I mean, we don't want to point fingers, but all I can say is an accident, you know, you can't prevent it, but incident is preventable."
His advice for leagues organised outside of the NMIBF is: "I want to say in general, for organisers, anyone that wants to organise a league out there, great, but do it properly...because if not, you're not helping the sports itself. You're actually hurting the sport itself."
Meanwhile, league organiser Sonny Ebuen said they are currently holding a fundraiser for Webster with a donation box in a league they are currently overseeing.
He also plans to organise a 3x3 tournament where all the proceeds will go to Webster's family. Ebuen also promised to donate $5 for each basketball uniform order he receives to his family as well.
Responding to Lee's comments, Ebuen said he is open to have referees under their purview to take a refresher officiating course with the NMIBF.
