February 4, 2006 · Posted in: In the News

Wowowee: A Filipino tragedy

WE are a nation accustomed to disaster. Whether the calamity is natural or manmade, it hardly seems to matter. We are as used to earthquakes and typhoons as we are to overloaded ferries sinking and badly constructed buildings collapsing. For sure, many of our disasters are world class. The sinking of the Doña Paz ferry in 1987, when some 4,000 died, is described as the world’s worst peacetime maritime disaster. As many as 5,000 to 8,000 were believed to have perished in a flood that hit Ormoc, Leyte in 1991. Just over a year ago, some 1,500 people were buried in mudslides in Aurora and Quezon. The list is long and the numbers are just one indicator of how horrible these disasters were.

Tragedy struck again at the Ultra stadium in Pasig City today, when 73 people, many of them women and elderly, met their death in an early-morning stampede while lining up to be admitted to the first-anniversary celebration of the wildly popular TV game show, "Wowowee." Although the casualty count is far smaller, this disaster is as horrific and as senseless as any of those on the list above. What makes it particularly poignant is that the casualties were poor people lured to the stadium by the prospect of winning P1 million. The news reports (see here and here) have noted this, citing the desperation of poor Filipinos, some of whom have been lining outside the stadium for three days.

The responses so far have been predictable. President Arroyo ordered a probe and was seen visiting the victims in the hospital a few hours after the story broke. Government agencies were quick to respond and ABS-CBN, the network that produces the game show, mobilized all its resources, including some of its most high-profile talents like Kris Aquino, to respond to the tragedy.

The news cycle as far as disasters go is predictable: First the story breaks, followed by heartbreaking scenes from the disaster zone, an estimate of the casualty count and then reports on the government’s and citizens’ response. The next phase of the news cycle will likely be the blame-throwing, the attack and the defense. After about a week or 10 days, the story will likely slide out of top of the newscast and the front pages. The media will move on to the next headline-grabber and the tragedy will be recalled maybe a year after, on its first anniversary, or will merit a one-liner the next time a similar event occurs. Such is life. Such is news.

We have been here before. For sure, there are few things sadder than this: poor, old women being stomped to death while lining up for a chance to escape poverty. The pundits will probably make commentaries on how television, the profit-hungry peddler of dreams, can also be the purveyor of disaster.

But the greater tragedy is really the poverty and despair that haunt so many Filipinos every day, whether or not disaster strikes. Wowowee is only the latest in a series of poverty-induced disasters. Most of those who died in Ormoc, for example, lived on Isla Verde, a sliver of land by the Anilao river, in an area where the trees had been cut to make way for sugar plantations. These people shouldn’t be living on Isla Verde at all, but they were too poor to go anywhere else.

Many of those who perished in Aurora and Quezon were poor as well and lived on fragile, logged over slopes. In both these cases, a combination of unusually heavy rainfall in environmentally fragile areas made poor people victims of disasters of unusual scale.

But the underlying cause is that the poor are so bereft of options that they build their homes where there is land available, even if these places are unsafe. They risk their lives by squatting on shaky riverbanks and eroded slopes, under bridges and alongside railroad tracks because they have no choice. The poor board unsafe ferries, eat and sleep in fire hazards and take rickety trains that fall off the tracks because this is all they could afford. Is it any wonder that they will also line up for days in the rain and hot sun for a one-in-a-million chance to get out of the poverty trap?

The biggest tragedy of all is that it is only when something like Wowowee happens that we realize the depth of their despair.

132 Responses to Wowowee: A Filipino tragedy

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naykika

February 4th, 2006 at 11:16 pm

I believe if there is still any crusading lawyer or law firm, who is worth its salt -should start gathering evidence for an immediate Class Action lawsuit on behalf of all victims and the injured against the T.V. Stations. The Program Promoters and all concerned. Not only that the poor victims families will be justly compensated for their suffering and losses but also to give warnings to all who conduct business, be it entertainment, services, etc. has a legal duty to safeguard and protect the safety of the public at all time or be punished accordingly. And I suggest do not settle for token sympathy as usual. Go all out and GOOD LUCK…

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dominique

February 4th, 2006 at 11:43 pm

The tragedy has been a long time in the making. These shows are deliberately cruel. For entertainment, they inflict psychological terror on the final contestant.

Sometimes, the shows can be physically cruel, too. Once, I saw a show where they encouraged the audience to toss around a big box containing numbers. A prankster tried to run off with the box. The studio guards swooped down on him, beating him down with sticks. No one complained. Wowowee, so much for human dignity.

At the heart of it, game shows are really just another form of gambling: the promise the chance of a big bucks for one chosen from among the crowd. All this without any supposed effort, with the simple expedient of fun and games at the expense of their dignity.

I think we should just ban these game shows altogether.

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Rizalist

February 5th, 2006 at 12:00 am

Sheila,

Something that riled me was the reported desire of Willie Revillame “to go on with the show.” Normally this would be considered a virtue in an entertainer — in cases where the lights have gone out in the theatre, part of his costume falls off, or one of the lead actors doesn’t show up. But NOT after over seventy people were just crushed to death and practically still lying around dead. Maybe he thought he could save the situation with his usual boyish inanity.

But would someone please tell me I am all wrong in the impression that the audience — those who didn’t die and were finally in the venue–seemed to be clapping for the show to indeed go on despite the tragedy, for the million bucks to be given away as planned. Knowing us, some were probably muttering, “What good does it do the living OR the dead, for the show not to go on?”

Perhaps they should’ve let him go on with the show and give away the million bucks. ABSCBN probably now stands to lose a lot more than that anyway.

It comes at a heavy price of human lives lost, but I think noon time shows are gonna have to change for the better, if they are to survive at all. These shows seem designed by salacious minds with a genius for commercializing the lowest common denominator in people — lewdness, stupidity, mendacity, opportunism and anything that titillates the seamy underside.

If the Lopezes are guilty of anything, it is their irresponsible liberal thinking in allowing these idiotarian shows to be aired, while they also do things like Bantay Bata, which would seem to balance things a little. But they don’t. When they mix in children, midgets, old people and their scantily clad eye candy doing whorehouse aerobics in these shows, what happens to their Philantrophy but be a fig leaf if crassness and immorality are abetted by the main line of the business. Yet I am absolutely certain that they can make as much money without raising as much Cain.

I do hope that Willie Revillame is finished for good. And all his ilk. They’re the ones that ought to be stampeded off the face of the earth.

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baycas

February 5th, 2006 at 12:14 am

the tragedy lies in the vulnerability of the poor and how this heartbreaking reality was taken advantage of…

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vonpogi

February 5th, 2006 at 1:35 am

Mahirap talaga sa atin ngayon at kaya lang pumapatok ang TV Show dahil pinapahinan tayo ng pera. Hindi naman mga artista ang habol ng mga manonood kundi baka sakaling manalo kahit na konting pera. Isa pa sana napanood ninyo ang interview kay Gugong Noli de castro. Tinanong siya kung ano ang tulong na gagawin nila at kung bibigyan nila ng pamasahe ang mga tao na para maka uwi sa probinsiya. Ang sagot niya ay “ANG DAPAT MANAGOT AY ANG ABSCBN SA MGA GASTUSIN” KUNG IKAW AY BISE NG PILIPINAS DAPAT MONG SAGUTIN NA MAGANDA ANG TANONG AT DAPAT NIYANG SABIHIN NA GINAGAWA NA NILA ANG LAHAT NG PARAAN PARA MATULUNGAN ANG MGA KABABAYAN OR MGA BIKTIMA”. ayaw yatang makaltasan ang pera ng gobyerno natin dahil baka lumiit ang MANANAKAW nila or ma I BUBULSA. Gago at hindi talaga dapat magin pamalit kay ARROVO puro walang utak.

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Chabeli

February 5th, 2006 at 1:39 am

We all know that poverty exists in the Philippines. Yet, the stampede was a wake-up call for all who live comfortable lives; for those who are blessed with a home; for those who have the luxury to eat 3 meals a day. Indeed “…For sure, there are few things sadder than this: poor, old women being stomped to death while lining up for a chance to escape poverty. The pundits will probably make commentaries on how television, the profit-hungry peddler of dreams, can also be the purveyor of disaster.”

Although those who are not marginalized will not be able to fully empathise with the kind of despair our poor feel, the Wowowee stampede was an eye-opener that SOMETHING MUST BE DONE to help the poor who are already burdened by taxes, used by politicians, etc. It is so bad that our poor would latch on to ANYTHING that can remove them from their nightmare called, “poverty,” and even if their chances were slim, they would opt to take the risk, to the point of losing their lives.

Those whose lives were lost as a result of the Wowowee stampede will not be in vain if we heed the call of our poor. It is said that “the higher the position, the higher the sacrifice.”

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vonpogi

February 5th, 2006 at 1:43 am

SANA AY HUWAG RIN GAMITING NI KUTONG LUPA (GMA) ITONG TRAHEDYA AT BAKA MAG PA CUTE PICTURES BA SIYA SA MGA BIKTIMA. DIYAN LANG KASI SILA MAGALING EH. SANA SA MGA NINAKAW NILA AY BIGYAN NILA ANG MGA NAMATAY AT NABIKTIMA.
G-GAGANG,
M-MAGNANAKAW,
A-AKO

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Chabeli

February 5th, 2006 at 1:45 am

Vanpogi, sanayon po ako sa inyong comments. Alam na yata ng mga mahihirap na wala silang pagasa kay GLU-RIA kaya sa Wowowee nalang sila! Napaka lungkot.

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tongue in, anew

February 5th, 2006 at 2:04 am

I just saw BBC’s coverage of the tragedy. As usual, another photo-op for the midget as she was shown waving to the crowds as she entered the hospital.

What gave me goose bumps was what the correspondent said about the multitudes shown among the fatalities that were “laid along the dirty pavement” and that they remained there after the stampede, still hoping to make it inside the stadium for a chance to change their desperate lives by taking home the jackpot. A sad picture of our poor country…painted with our poor countrymen’s own blood. You’re right, Rizalist.

Kawawa, we.

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Needless

February 5th, 2006 at 3:57 am

If there were to blame, it should have been the organizers and the show producers themselves. They knew that there were already lots of people outside and should have had at least earlier called in some crowd control reinforcements in advanced at least. The lure of money in exchange of being exploited on TV has been a long-standing debate. The greed for high TV ratings proved deadly already. The show itself got more people hurt/killed than what they have been showing “helping” less-fortunate people on TV. Ano raw? Pinoy Big Brother was cancelled due to the incident? But of course naman eh most folks are on grievance mood eh baka rin kasi walang munang manood eh bumaba din yung TV rating nila. Mga ganid talaga! Pwe!

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Needless

February 5th, 2006 at 4:14 am

As I recalled the late Ferdinand Marcos stopped Voltes V to be shown on TV because the government-owned stations were already losing sa ratings. “He who controls the media, controls the people” so I personally doubt if GMA et al would even raise a sincere finger against ABS-CBN kasi the latter has had been a major political contributor sa kanila. In return they have Noli on board (compliments of cheating) to make sure that some “things” can be controlled.

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rego

February 5th, 2006 at 6:36 am

You guys are really genius in connecting any unfortunate events in the Philippines to the sitting president. You have perfected the “Art” Bow ako!

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baycas

February 5th, 2006 at 6:53 am

yesterday i shouted…

words that come to mind re: ULTRA stampede…
tragedy/lamentation, poverty/exploitation, wake-up call/retribution, assistance/meditation, and problem/resolution.

as i woke up today…might not be a common Filipino attitude (on long queue, in this case) be contributory and led to the rush? the “HINDI PAHUHULI” behavior, “GUSTO LAGING MAUNA,” even the wealthy are guilty of…

this boils down to our moral values “renewal”…“formation” in the young…rich and poor alike…for “many who are first will be last; and the last first” (Mk 10:31).

(i may have cited this verse too literally, but certainly, there is deeper meaning to it that we ought to ponder.)

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koj

February 5th, 2006 at 7:45 am

rego said,
February 5, 2006 @ 6:36 am

You guys are really genius in connecting any unfortunate events in the Philippines to the sitting president. You have perfected the “Art” Bow ako!
———
exactly the same observation i have. they made it so easy it amazes me.

my sympathies to the dead and the injured. abs-cbn would shoulder the costs burial/hospitalization of the dead and the injured and the story, if not the tragedy, would most likely die with it. class actions, if ever the victims would think of it, would further inflict injury to them with the long wait (before the court decides) they have to endure. Unless an enterprising law firm would shoulder the cost and get a commission from damages awarded or cause oriented lawyers would take the cudgels of the victims pro-bono. And they have to prove negligence the least on the part of the producers of the show.

What’s saddening is the pinoys continued penchant for the quick buck like gameshows, lotto, jueteng, etc. instead of working for it. Gusto talaga natin yung instant yaman. Many would deny this fact, and when luck continues to elude them, blame the govt. for not giving or providing them with jobs or the resources to earn. It’s the simplest way out!

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vonjobi

February 5th, 2006 at 10:22 am

i also don’t see what gloria has to do with this.

what i do see is the greed of abs-cbn. its willingness to make amends is not enough. important questions beyond culpability and remuneration are the following: is it right to prey on the poor’s desperation to win the ratings war? is it correct to just make an announcement that those who get in will automatically win 5000 pesos and not plan for accidents? did the company’s responsibility to the people it sought to exploit not extend to making sure that the procedures for getting the chance to win were reasonable and humane?

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ryebosco

February 5th, 2006 at 11:47 am

Tragedies can happen anywhere around the world where a large gathering of people lacks crowd control and security.

All I have to say is we need more game shows that involve intelligence. What ever happened to I.Q. Seven? Remember that show? Sana ang na stampede eh yung mga magnanakaw sa gobyerno katulad ni Marcos et al., kidnappers and assassins of journalists.

On a different note:
Hoy Kris Aquino, YOU FREAKIN SUCK AT YOUR JOB AND YOU’RE VERY IRRITATING. There are better qualified graduates who deserve to be hired. Do something heroic and apply as a domestic helper where Filipinos are maltreated and do another sequel to Milan, Dubai…this time call it “Hong Kong.”

Hay, buisit, ayoko na…puro na lang dak dak at complain tayo pero wala namang aksyon. Bakasyon muna ako.

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howie

February 5th, 2006 at 12:18 pm

We shouldn’t overlook design issues: most sports arenas around the world are designed with enough space for parking and crowds outside, and at least several entrances and exits so that crowds aren’t pushed and squeezed to death into a single funnel. That is apparently what happened at the Ultra when most of the fatalities were forced against a single steel gate.

That is similar to what happened on a smaller scale at the Musiklaban concert in Amoranto Stadium last year, another facility with little space outside. Two were killed then.

Contrast that with Araneta, with plenty of space outside, and even facilities in the provinces.

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jr_lad

February 5th, 2006 at 12:39 pm

ang tanong, may criminal liability ba ang mga owners and organizers sa nangyaring eto? sasampahan ba ng kaso ng gobyerno at may mananagot or basta na lang babayaran ang mga biktima at hahayaan na lang na parang walang nangyari? tuloy ang ligaya? sa ibang bansa alam ko hindi pinapalampas ang ganitong mga pangyayari.

as for class suits. i don’t think it will work in the phils. walang crusading firms or lawyers sa bansa dahil sa ating justice system. mag-aaksaya lang sila ng pera at panahon. big corporations will always win. even the marcos human rights victims who already won the case in the US until now have not received the money awarded to them. naubos na nga ng gobyerno ang pera. dito pa kaya?

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men0k

February 5th, 2006 at 12:40 pm

First, i think PCIJ put the words in this topic excellently and can’t be any better.. Nice work guys, for this.

Second, let mr give my two cents worth on this.

1. I pity thoses people who despite of after what happened they still lined up for a chance to get inside but i pity even more rego, koj and vonjobi ( i don’t know if these ‘guys’ are really three different persons) for it seems that they don;t still get it… or maybe they belong to those, as how chabeli puts it, “for those who are blessed with a home; for those who have the luxury to eat 3 meals a day”… can’t you get it guys?.. kaya nandun ang mga yun kasi wala na silang makitang pag-asa sa nangyayari sa gubyerno at sa pilipinas… kayong tatlo might be in your house, eating your preferred food and sleeping in an air-conditioned room while they slept there in the streets and queued just for this once-in-a-million chance of maybe also eating “the food they prefer”… i don’t know where you three came from but have you got any sensitivity within you? We don’t equate this with MIDGET, we equate this with the fact that the situation is getting worse up to the point that people don’t trust the gov’t anymore no matter what promises they make (at least i hope you know why people don’t trust the gov’t anymore, or still you don’t?).. I am not for Erap, nor was I for erap, but i live in a place where many poor people are and i can attest that they were far better compared to now… they were relocated to better places, they were given some food and livelihood, etc.. but now?.. i don’t even know if MIDGET knows that our place even exists…

2. I don’t think that the network has to be blamed about this… of course they should have expected that too many people would come BUT not as much as it did… maybe they were also overwhelmed by the fact that too much people now just depend on lotteries, raffles, txt to win, etc to make their lives better.. they don’t think of sending their children to school anymore for them to have a better and secured future.. because they don’t see any hope anymore in the government because even public schools now ask for some ‘payments’ in forms of contributions, tickets, books payment, etc.. not adding here the fact teachers who have to sell something to young pupils just for the teachers to also ‘make the ends meet’ for their own family… it is very sad and hard to contemplate about this but this is the truth.. and truth, more often than not, really hurts.

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jr_lad

February 5th, 2006 at 1:09 pm

the govt. particularly FPGMA will not escape blame everytime tragedies with this kind of magnitude happens specially if it involves the poor people. other people will always have the reason to blame the govt. (just watch interviews of the people and their reasons in coming to ultra some even in far away places). we cannot stop people here in this blog from having political tones on their comments and connecting with FPGMA what happened specially with the turmoil that’s happening now in the country. this is PCIJ blog afterall. if we don’t want to read any political notes here, read abante or bandera. i’m sure there is no glue-ria bashings on those tabloids.

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naykika

February 5th, 2006 at 1:14 pm

In my first comment, I suggested a Class Action Lawsuit against the T.V station, the Show Promoters and all parties connected to the Tragedy. Exactly the reason why so many unseemly tragedies that happened in the past occurred because the people operating the business (e.i. passenger Ferry, housing project, concert promoter,etc.) did not undertake due diligence because they donot fear massive lawsuits.

Now in order to facilitate the class action lawsuit, the government (it really needs this one) should shoulder all immediate expense and compensation towards the victims. It is the normal procedure in the first place. No passing the buck, Please. Police investigations should always take precedence over any kind. Then all kind of inquiry, coroner, senate or judicial could follow.

Contrary to some belief, a Class Action is not that Complicated. A lawyer or any Law Firm could only pick one case to represent the Class. That way the court could only hear the representative case and the Total award could be apportioned to all victims according to the degree of their losses and suferring.

If we just let this tragedy follow the course of the others before, then this will not be the last, and the worst may yet to come. It is about time to make everyone accountable for their action or inaction be they are in business, government, religion or in media. Only ONE is immune.

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vonjobi

February 5th, 2006 at 1:47 pm

men0k: please note that if you click on my handle there is a blog that backs up who i am. i am not pro-gloria. i just don’t think it’s fair that she gets blamed for this. that’s a bit of a stretch.

did the stampede occur just because the poor are getting poorer during the arroyo administration? i don’t think so. if some game show–without proper planning–had tried to exploit the poor in the same way in previous decades, i do believe the same thing would have happened.

the post mentions “poverty-induced disasters” that occurred during different administrations. should those disasters be blamed on the presidents during those times, too?

but that’s neither here nor there. let’s focus on the victims.

they did NOT have to die. abs-cbn and willie say that they were just trying to help people by giving money away. another way of looking at it is that they were trying to win market share by “buying” the market. and when you tempt the poor with 5000 pesos, ignore them for more than a week and let them brave the elements without thinking that maybe a lottery for the tickets can be conducted, THAT is irresponsible.

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men0k

February 5th, 2006 at 2:25 pm

vonjobi, you said “i also don’t see what gloria has to do with this.”

do you hear yourself?… don’t look at it like a frog trapped in a well… and also, i don’t blame JUST the MIDGET administration for the being poor of our country.. of course, it rooted from the other administrations, but the bottomline is, is it because other administrations did nothing about it therefore SHE should also do nothing about it, and worse, cling to power to aggrevate the situation?… my point is, we are already poor, we are already suffering, and because of that suffering, people are dying already… she should step down, or at least let there be a FAIR trial about her legitimacy for people to have a fresh hope, a real one… the people there who went to wowowee to become rich, were they thinking for themselves to get rich?… NO, they were thinking for the future of their children.. because they cannot send their children anymore to school, they don’t see any hope for their children to have a good future because the government doesn’t provide that hope anymore.. what the government provides is a false governance based on LIES, DECEIT, BULLYING, BENDING WHAT IS RIGHT TO BE WRONG… Can you see even a glim of HOPE in that for your children, vonjobi?

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Diego

February 5th, 2006 at 2:58 pm

How can you not blame GMA? Think about this one: While the dollar is going down against the peso, the prices of basic goods and services is going up. Who are we to blame for this vonjobi? WOWOWEE?

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vonjobi

February 5th, 2006 at 3:02 pm

do you hear yourself?

“she should step down, or at least let there be a FAIR trial about her legitimacy for people to have a fresh hope, a real one…”

why? because a stampede occurred? i don’t think it’s fair to use what happened at wowowee as proof that gma should step down.

i agree that there should be a fair trial, that the truth should come out. but what’s the connection with the stampede?

i think we’re both on the same side. the poor need all the help they can get. but we need to realize that some things are just NOT connected.

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Kd3r

February 5th, 2006 at 3:42 pm

it is funny how some people tend to come up with conclusions based on one thing they know. needless to say, we should look at both sides of the story before we decide on something. isn’t that how it’s supposed to be? it’s true that game shows give promises, yet they are able to deliver them. unlike the government who always tend to say one thing and then do the opposite.

i feel pity for all our fellow kababayans who suffered in the tragedy, especially those who lost their loved ones. with the current situation, many are forced to rely on chances just to uplift their personal condition. granted that the tragedy could have been avoided, of course, not only one party is supposed to be blamed.

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men0k

February 5th, 2006 at 3:47 pm

vonjobi,

do you get the meat of my first posting in this topic?.. the meat of it was not referring to stampede, was not even referring to the show or even to the prizes at stake.. of course i mentioned those things because those were the subjects but looking deeper and looking wider, i was referring to the root, to the cause why people are there… it’s the loss of HOPE and DREAM for the future of their children and their nation as well… if they still trust the government when the government had said thousand times that MIDGET will provide food, shelter, education and jobs, i don’t think they will stay there, sleep in the streets, just to join that once-in-a-million chance gameshow… it’s not the stampede man…

some things are NOT connected, you said?…

some PEOPLE just DON’T see the connection….

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baycas

February 5th, 2006 at 8:39 pm

preliminary investigation (c/o dilg main man at present) reveal a constantly growing crowd exceeding ultra’s capacity prompting concern from security personnels. the crowd outside ultra, even if still calm at first, cannot anymore be ignored and in fact swelled to a proportion beyond the jurisdiction of the abs-cbn securities.

whose job is it beyond this jurisdiction? who are in a better position to prevent an unruly crowd? who are experts in the field of preemptive strikes? now, please tell us that the preemptive response is just limited to rallies. can the tragic situation be avoided by implementing a calibrated preemptive response to the ever-growing crowd?

…“nasa pansitan ba ‘ika n’yo? kaya pala!”

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jr_lad

February 6th, 2006 at 12:20 am

good point baycass. ba’t nga ba hindi ginamitan ng cpr? asan na yung mga mga tauhan ni querol?

sabi pa ni querol, due daw sa “pressure of gravity” ang nangyaring stampede. ano yun? :)

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koj

February 6th, 2006 at 12:32 am

men0k said,
February 5, 2006 @ 12:40 pm

First, i think PCIJ put the words in this topic excellently and can’t be any better.. Nice work guys, for this.

Second, let mr give my two cents worth on this.

1. I pity thoses people who despite of after what happened they still lined up for a chance to get inside but i pity even more rego, koj and vonjobi ( i don’t know if these ‘guys’ are really three different persons) for it seems that they don;t still get it… or maybe they belong to those, as how chabeli puts it, “for those who are blessed with a home; for those who have the luxury to eat 3 meals a day”… can’t you get it guys?..
————————–
i refer to the excerpt of your post above and your exchanges with vonjobi…you don’t have to pity me and yes i have the luxury to eat 3 meals a day…that’s because i worked for and earned it. nobody gave it to me for free.

in turn, i am amaze of how you connect the dots no matter how inane it is, like everything that happen is their fault. we started to blame everybody except the people who went there and specially those who started pushing to gain to those who where ahead of them. Yes everything is connected and if your patient enough to connect everything, aabot din sa ‘yo, and you can start blaming yourself.

i admire your determination though, to get rid of gma, whatever way. however no matter what people like you guys do, gma will not resign, makapal nga mukha e! people will not rally with you either to oust her or the military to side with you. better concentrate on the next election, with all the negatives this admin is getting, the current opps might get the majority in both houses of congress and then you can impeach her. Good luck!

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iyang

February 6th, 2006 at 2:45 am

in my humble opinion, ang nangyari kahapon ay salamin ng kaharipan satin, honga ung mga pinoy na pumila sa game show ay naghahanap ng swerte pero kung titignan lng ang sitwasyon ng mabuti, ang kinikita ng isang jeepney driver or tindera sa bangketa ay napakaliit kumpara sa premyo na makukuha mo sa wowowee and opkors swertihan lng talaga pero malay mo dba? at ung mga taong un minsan lng or nde pa nga nakakahawak ng malaking halaga kaya khit gaano kahirap ang pumila ok na lng.. masakit man isipin na ang mga nakaupo sating pamahalaan ay mga ganid at masamang tao at walang sawa ng nagnanakaw . nakakaiyak tignan ang mga taong nagtitiis ng gutom tapos makikita mo cla na kunyari concern pag may tragedy, dpat sana nde bigas at instant noodles ang binibigay sa mga pinoy kundi trabaho, edukasyon sa family planning at wagna pahirapan pa ang mga OFW na umalis sa pinas kc plage nmn cnasabe n cla ang bagong bayani pero pinapahirapan pa ang pag alis at kunsumo pa sa oras n sana ay kapiling na lang ang family. personal opinion ko.. ayaw ko kay GMA at ayw ko sa mga lahat ng kasama nya sa pagtatago ng kasalanan nya. plage nya cnasabe na our economy is ok, madaming work na darating blah blah blah pero walang nangyayari..nakakagalit isipin na bilang isang ordinaryong mamamayan wala ako magawa sa kapwa ko kundi prayers lng, alam ko kelangan nila tumayo at magsikap pero sana may umaalalay , sa nangyari kahapon, isa lang ang nasa isip ko na sisihin kundi ang gobyerno ni GMA.. y? kc kaya sya nakaupo ngayon dahil may trabaho sya n dapat gawin sa mamamayang pilipino at ilang taon na sya jan wala pa rin natutupad at ng dahil sa paghihirap at gutom kahit sa patalim kumakapit ang mga pinoy. hindi sya ilulukluk jan sa pwesto nya for nothing at sad to say hindi ako satisfied sa trabaho nya!!! at sa wowowee at kay willie, GOD bless them kc madami clang natutulungan at nde cla ang dapat sisihin sa nangyari, e2 lang yan, walang pumila na rich at maykaya kahapon kc nde pumapatol sa ganun trip. kaya kung konti lang ang gutom satin at ang gobyerno ay totoong nagmamahal sa mga mamamayan walang stampede na nangyari kahapon..GOD BLESS THE PHILIPPINES!!!! ( sori if may na hurt man ako sa cnabe ko, masakit tignan sa TV na namamatay ang tao dhil sa paghihirap n kung tutuusin nde nmn dpat kc madami kming OFW na nag reremit ng dollars at malaki ang natutulong sa ekonomiya pero ganun pa rin, nagmamahal ang mga bilihin at alamg katapusang paghihirap ng mga pinoy) my humble apology..

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luzviminda

February 6th, 2006 at 5:50 am

Kung dito sana ginamit ng mga pulis ang CPR (CALIBRATED PREEMPTIVE RESPONSE) ni GMA, hindi sana nangyari ito. Na-preempt sana ang tragedy. Dito sa mga ganitong pagkakataon dapat ginagamit ang CPR. Sinabi ng taga ABS-CBN na humingi sila ng assistance sa mga authorites para sa security, bakit hindi binigyan ng CPR? Dahil ba hindi ito rally ng oposisyon. Bakit hindi gamitin ang CPR sa kapaki-pakinabang na sitwasyon? People have reached up to 30,000. Kung yung mga mga 100-200 katao ang mag-converge eh andun agad ang mga pulis bakit ito umabot ng 30,000, eh hindi in-apply ang CPR.

DESPERATE CONDITION- Yes, most Filipinos are getting desperate. Imagine after the incident na nagkamatayan na eh, HANDA PA RING PUMILA AT MAKAPASOK SA ULTRA ang iba dahil sa pag-aakalang tuloy ang game show. Umaasa pa rin na manalo at magbago ng maski konti ang lagay sa buhay. Actually, hindi ko napigilang maiyak. NAKAKAAWA NA TALAGA TAYO.

WHERE IS GMA’s GOOD ECONOMY? – Kahit siguro mag 40/1$ ang palitan eh, walang epekto sa karamihan sa atin ang sinasabi ni GMA na malakas na Peso at Stock Market. Alam naman natin na dinodoktor ng GMA Government at mga cohorts na negosyante ang mga statistics nila. Ang Peso kaya malakas sa dollar bukod sa OFW remittances ay dahil din sa manipulasyon…(1)naglalabas ng dollars ang Bangko Sentral sa sirkulasyon ng higit sa kailangan, (2)manipulasyon ng mga negosyanteng may control sa dollar. Kayang-kaya ng mga negosyanteng magpababa o magpataas ng palitan kung gusto nila. Para tumaas ang palitan, itatago nila ang hawak nilang dollar nang sa ganun konti ang dollar supply sa market. Gaya ng ginawa nila kay Erap nuon. Para bumaba, gagamitin nila at ilalabas sa sirkulasyon. Ganun lang iyon. Sa stock market naman, namamanipula rin. Kung gusto ng stockholder tumaas ang value ng stock niya, ibebenta nya ng mataas at bibilin naman ng kakutsaba nya. Ganun lang din iyon. Ang totoo ang KARAMIHAN SA MGA PILIPINO AY WALANG MARAMING DOLLARS at SHARES-OF-STOCKS, kaya kahit maganda ang lagay ng mga ito, walang epekto sa atin. Ilan lang ang may hawak nyan. 2-3%lang siguro. AT SILA LANG ANG TOTOONG NAKIKINABANG!!! …Si JUAN DELA CRUZ…ISANG KAHIG,ISANG TUKA!!!!!

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tongue in, anew

February 6th, 2006 at 6:01 am

Naku naman, patulan nyo pa yang mga manhid. At walang koneksiyon daw? Well, if there’s anything disconnected, its that gray thing between your ears, and that thing in the middle of your chest pumping blood, with the rest of your organs.

Desperate na nga ang mga tao, e. Hindi na tayo lang ang nagsasabi, go read the Saturday webnews of CNN, ABC, CBS, Reuters. Or if you can find them, taped interviews of the survivors. They all point to one culprit: poverty. How do you prosecute poverty?

One pundit here even asks if we shall blame all previous leaders for similar tragedies during their time, of course, the nation’s leaders are responsible. Failure of government in any aspect of its country’s well-being are attributable to its leader. Isn’t it government responsibility to ensure public safety, especially when thousands are gathered? Wasn’t it government that gave building permits to Ultra, which now appears to have design flaws? And the same government that shall continuously inspect all buildings to ensure that these follow present standards? Has the government done its job in post-tragedy ops? Remember Ozone? Doña Paz? Ormoc? And lately, Quezon Aurora, Marinduque, Samar? These mishaps keep repeating themselves. No one gets punished.

Who shall account for this one, the poor? Or maybe, as Diego said, Wowowee? I’m sure as PCIJ is, in ten days, the issue is forgotten.

Talagang kawawa, we.

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indio_lawless

February 6th, 2006 at 9:30 am

Naykika’s earlier suggestion for a class suit will only prosper if the heirs of those victims as well as those who got injured will all come forward and file one civil action and provided their ” class suit” with the following requisites : 1) subject of controversy is of common or general interest to many persons;2) persons are so numerous that it is impractical to bring them all to court 3) Parties actually before the court are sufficiently numerous and representative so that all interests concerned are fully protected.

But, allow me to clarify that, it is not the duty of any lawyer worth his/her salt nor the lawfirm in the legal ethical sense, to gather evidence for the said civil action in behalf of their pospective or would be clients. In doing so, that is tantamount to “ambulance chasing”, which is a unethical practice of undue soliciting.

Assuming arguendo that there is indeed a crusading lawyer even not worth his/her salt, do we expect him/her to advance the payment of the filing fees? which, in this case, may run to millions?

And given the present political as well as judicial climate, do you think the lawyer can deliver the justice deserved without being harrassed even by a single appeal?

Does anyone remember the Pepsi Cola Number Game Fiasco’s 349 ?
Though its far from being bloody than that of the ULTRA, the effect is still the same specially to the psyche.

Class suits is a good textbook case reading but in practice, its a nightmare.

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aileron

February 6th, 2006 at 12:18 pm

tracking the stampede discussion

news reports and blogs talking about the Wowowee stampede.

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rego

February 6th, 2006 at 12:21 pm

But still I believed class suit shoudl be pursued!

I was wondering on what is the direction of the ongoing probe. What is the real objective and the goal of the ongoing probe being done by the government? I understand that the probe wanted to know what really happened and who was responsible. But once the culpability is established, will the government file a case or a class suit in behalf of the poor victims against those who were found to be responsible for such tragedy?

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benign0

February 6th, 2006 at 1:27 pm

As long as the Philippines is (1) overpopulated, (2) poor, and (3) unjust, tragedies like this will continue.

The sheer number of Pinoys cheapens life. We have the lowest expenditure in education as a % of GNP in the region. This statistic alone already says a lot about how little regard we have for the one resource that is abundant in our society — people.

If we cannot regard people as a resource to invest education on, then it necessarily follows that safety — also an expensive investment — will never fly.

Deal with it folks. It’s all in the culture and on the value (or lack of value) our culture places in the beauty of human life. 😉

Already, so many are starting to point fingers. But who will crucify the very same poor people already inside the ULtra who clamoured for the continuation of the show even in the aftermath of the tragedy.

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ichtus

February 6th, 2006 at 1:46 pm

As i was reading the colorful and intense comments to Sheila’s article, I just couldn’t help the surge of images in my mind. All of us, tens of thousands of sideline, post-event commentators lined-up at the same spot in ULTRA; all restless, desperate and frustrated to get up front of the coveted gate. But, we’re not there for some golden ticket to a 20,000 peso-jackpot or for a chance at Pera o Bayong. All of us are there for one ultimate purpose–to be the righteous one; to be recognized as the penultimate opinion; the final say to the why’s of this tragic story. I cringe as the tragedy repeats itself. Those at the back claw their way forward; throwing the full weight of their opinion at the person in front…and the next..and the next. Thrashing, bullying their way closer to the frontlines of reason; unmindful of those trampled under. Until, all of us find ourselves buried under a heap of disunity and hate.

That bloody Saturday at Ultra is but a graphically cruel example of what all of us can achieve. We don’t have to be poor or hungry or hopelessly dependent on games of chance to experience the damnation of that day. We just have to continue looking for more ways to divide our country. Everyday. In every given opportunity.

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indio_lawless

February 6th, 2006 at 2:18 pm

Rego, allow me to answer your query on whether or not the government may file a case or a class suit in behalf of the poor victims.

The answer is it depends.

The government through its prosecutor may file a criminal case but it may not file a civil case, primarily, for the reason that it is not the proper party.

The government may also resort to slapping administrative sanctions such as suspension or cancellation of the culprit’s business license as the case may be.

But the big question is, will there be a proper case at all ?

This present administration always put some political will in pursuing their interests but how about the public interests ?

The answer my friend is blowing in the wind.

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baycas

February 6th, 2006 at 2:24 pm

cpr is one thing…issuance of permit is another…

from the testimony of marilou almaden in yesterday’s hearing, the organizers requested a mayor’s permit for the gathering of about 25,000 to 30,000 people in a sports arena where lack of perimeter space is widely known. permit granted and that’s the end of it.

at hindsight, would it not be proper for the mayor or anyone at Pasig City hall to proceed (after the issuance of permit) in monitoring the situation considering a very big crowd is to amass in a tight space such as the streets surrounding ultra? it is worthy of note that even in days ahead of the expected gathering there was already a constant buildup of people lining up at the gates.

perhaps, there was one police or one city hall representative that could have observed such an anticipated huge gathering (i couldn’t believe it if there was no pnp or local traffic enforcer present in the area during the antecedent days of the tragedy – more so on the day itself!).

a few days of mourning and lamentation are beginning to end…we are now nearing the finger-pointing and the “blame-game” stage…

“There appears to be a lapse in security,” Mayor Eusebio said. “The management got a permit from the City Hall, but they should have also coordinated with us for the security measures, especially with a crowd this big.” http://news.inq7.net/nation/index.php?index=1&story_id=65164

“Dapat may managot,” Mayor Eusebio also was heard saying on national radio today. “Hindi nakipag-coordinate sa amin ang mga organizers,” he reiterated.

“sino pa’ng dapat managot,” may i ask? was it not also the responsibility of the one who issued the permit? do the alarm bells have to be sounded for authorities to set into action?

my point is, there should be a thorough accounting of the circumstances. anyone could be blamed for the heartbreaking incident…it’s like a whole piece of cake where everyone (who attended the party) could have a slice, no matter if it’s only the icing one did get. if anyone is to be judged, let’s hope judgment falls to everyone…from the most to the least culpable.

sad to say, some of the accountants (fact-finding body composed of marius corpus, dilg undersec for public safety; vicente eusebio, Pasig City mayor; vidal querol, ncrpo director; the exec director of the office of civil defense; and reps from the doh and bureau of fire protection http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/topofthehour.aspx?StoryId=29131 ) are the first ones to finger-point without assessing the entire situation.

—–

ichtus,

“hindi pahuhuli…gusto laging mauna?” a Filipino trait one has to deal with for the good of everyone…and let’s pray no more disasters would befall us…

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Loi_Pogi

February 6th, 2006 at 3:05 pm

In the US, even deaths caused by freak accidents turn into fierce legal battles.

A multimillion peso wrongful death suit should be filed against the managements of ABS-CBN and the event venue.

I really wanna see crusading organizations of lawyers like Flag and Mabini to come in aid of powerless and penniless hapless victims.

Huwag lang sa pulitika kayo mag-ingay. Mas kailangan kayo ng mga taong ito.

Theodore Te, Rene Saguisag, Romy Capulong, Katrina Legarda et. al. : WHAT SAY YOU?

______
for similar articles, pls visit: http://www.professionalheckler.blog-city.com

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Loi_Pogi

February 6th, 2006 at 3:07 pm

In the US, even deaths caused by freak accidents turn into fierce legal battles.

A multimillion peso wrongful death suit should be filed against the management of ABS-CBN and the event venue.

I really wanna see crusading organizations of lawyers like Flag and Mabini to come in aid of powerless and penniless hapless victims.

Huwag lang sa pulitika kayo mag-ingay. Mas kailangan kayo ng mga taong ito.

Theodore Te, Rene Saguisag, Romy Capulong, Katrina Legarda et. al. : WHAT SAY YOU?

______
for similar articles, pls visit: http://www.professionalheckler.blog-city.com

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naykika

February 6th, 2006 at 5:08 pm

Secretary Gonzalez suggested that Woweewoo Host may have liability. What a Secretary. Why can’t the politicians (isn’t he?) shut up for a moment and let the investigators gather the facts and have the matter put in proper perspective. Folks, this is a tragedy of unimaginable implications. For the bloggers and the writers and the media people as a whole it’s quite understandable, but coming from a government officials jumping the gun, I believe it is not only improper but in poor taste. Come on Mr.Secretary, Please…

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pidro75

February 6th, 2006 at 6:09 pm

I agree with Senator Gordon who as Chair of the Red Cross when interviewed at ULTRA said that “I am here to help fix the problem not fix the blame”.

It is time to examine the root of the problem. As Sheila pointed out this is not the first time that such tragedy has happened.

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tenshio

February 6th, 2006 at 6:24 pm

It just pisses me off whenever I hear someone says, “walang dapat sisihin sa trahedyang ito”. It’s not like what happened was an accident. There is grave irresponsibility somewhere in this incident and surely the necessary precautions and planning would have prevented the tragedy.

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mundski

February 6th, 2006 at 7:09 pm

tama. there’s negligence and a whole deal of irresponsibility in the side of the organizers. FORESIGHT- we Filipinos always lacked, and they didn’t even possess. SINO ba namang hindi maco concerned kung may 30,000 desperate people na iisa lang ang PAKAY- na manalo man lang nang kahit ano- ? sila lang ata. the tragedy would hit malacañang in the face- disgrace for all the world to see- how poor and how desperate our people are. the program evolved from a crave for high RATINGS into what it has become now– a money factory- with that everyday dollar “collection.” that shouldn’t be in TV in the first place. no more place for dignity for the people- because there’s no other choice and nowhere else to go.

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m38manila

February 6th, 2006 at 8:31 pm

Well what else do you expect from a populace that simply doesnt understand how to stand in a line and wait!!! And before all the morons reply, just have a think about your own experiences waiting in lines in this country and recall the number of times people jump to the front of the queue. It happens all the time. Tragic that lives were lost over such simple respectful behavior. Waiting your turn that is. I see it at school sports fests when its time for lunch, parents and their children puching and nudging to get to the front. Mine are well trained. Train yours too!!!!

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primo

February 6th, 2006 at 9:40 pm

sinagot ng smart ang 10,000 petot na load ng mga kamaganak ng biktima…. at may libreng cellphone pa bawat namatayan… sige tuloy ang cannibalism…

kayong mga filam na nag “contribute” ng $$$$ nyo every show.ano pakiramdam nyo?

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Sleepyjohn

February 6th, 2006 at 10:37 pm

Karma… mabilis na ang balik ngayon sa mga taong mapang-samantala, exploiters, or whatever you want to call it.

Let’s take it piece by piece;

1986 after edsa revolution, lopezes got back all their holdings in a silver platter: Meralco, Abs-Cbn, etc.. Meralco, up to now, is also making us pahirap. They have finally admitted that the SYSTEM LOSS CHARGE incorporated in our monthly bills are being paid by the legitimate customers like us. Yung mga nagnanakaw ng kuryente through JUMPERS are not being arrested, instead meralco extends the burden to us!

Parang may mali yata!:( Why will we pay extra for the power that others steal from meralco. For example, if a customer’s monthly electric bill is P2,000+, the System loss charge allotment is about P324+. Imbis na P 1, 676+ lang babayaran ng customer,eh naging P2,000 because of SYSTEM LOSS CHARGE. Not to mention the other unbundled rates incorporated in an almost filled up space of the monthly billing!

Sa dami ng may mga JUMPERS, sala-salabat na kuryente, sunog ang tiyak na kapahamakan. Sa sunod-sunod na sunog na naganap kamakailan, may mga namatay rin, bukod sa nawalan pa ng tirahan.

On Abs-Cbn, true, the show was intended to entertain the common tao by giving away cash prizes, etc, not because of poverty, but as promotions strategy to win the surveys!;to be number one and outsmart other noontime shows, which, also give million pesos in cash!

Cash promos are intended to increase consumer sales for some products, improve radio/TV surveys for “live” shows! and other products or services to attract people to patronize their products, radio or tv shows.

Even in the most developed countries,they give out Cash promos with the same purpose of competing for viewership, listenership or patronizing products/services among the people. It’s not because of poverty!

The dreadful saturday event, according to some, can also be attributed as karma…to the host(Willie Revillame). Remember his several sexual harassment cases, which of course, were dismissed. But to those people who know W.R.,as a person, those alleged sexual harassment cases were true. Hindi talaga natutulog ang Diyos!

On Objectivity: According to the Pasig City Mayor, the producers of that Abs-Cbn show, did not coordinate with his office for additional security or presence of the city’s police force to control the crowd. Ano magagawa ng handful of security guards with a big crowd that mushroomed since Friday pa?!

It is just conscientious for Management to take care of all the expenses of the victims, be it burial or hospital bills!

Investigation must go on without let-up; Senator M.Santiago wants a senate inquiry; justice department wants a case to be filed in court,and other authorities like NTC may opt to suspend airing of the show.

Maraming kapamilya ang nangamatay at nasugatan. Sana maliwanagan na ang lahat ng mapag-samantala na ginagamit ang kahirapan. Isa-puso ang dangal ng mahihirap, hindi para gamitin sa ikasisikat ng mga palatuntunan o personalidad ng ilang TV hosts.
=======================
following is a poem written about St.Philomena, the wonder worker. Kindly read, not as a poem, but as a sort of prayer for those who died last Saturday….

Saint Philomena The Wonder Worker
by
Mary Ann Matulis
(Sydney, Australia)

The king and queen no baby had;
They longed to be a mum and dad;
To pagan gods they prayed each day;
But still no baby came their way.

Then good advice was given to them;
It proved to be a priceless gem;
Christians are what you should be;
Then a baby blessing;
You shall see!

When this was done;
The grace was granted;
And with little Philomena;
They were enchanted!

When little Philomena had reached twelve years;
Bad news filled up their eyes with tears;
On their country small and poor;
The emperor of Rome;
Declared a war!

Let’s go to Rome;
The king told wife and daughter;
To plead with the emperor;
To prevent this slaughter.

At the mighty emperor’s court;
They pleaded with him;
The war to abort.

The emperor had a new idea;
He said there’s nothing more to fear.
Give me your daughter;
To be my wife;
And I promise her;
A wonderful life!

The offer took them by surprise;
A refusal would mean;
Their country’s demise;
The king and queen were filled with gladness;
But Philomena was overcome by sadness.

To be a bride of Christ;
She’d already taken a vow;
No way would Philomena;
Let it be broken now.
The answer was a steadfast no;
The emperor now his force would show!

To the dungeon Philomena was deployed;
All manner of torture was employed;
It was all to no avail;
The emperor’s methods were doomed to fail.
Because God Himself defended her soul;
Philomena kept her eyes on her heavenly goal.

The maiden Philomena;
Was strengthened by faith and grace;
Until the day she could behold;
God face to face.

Finally the maiden Philomena was beheaded;
And the onlookers wept;
For many centuries in the catacombs;
She silently slept.

At last her relics were located;
And the excavators were elated;
When Philomena’s relics,
Were bought up to the ground;
Miracles started to abound!

Some folks thought that miracles;
Had stopped with the Bible;
With Philomena;
They had a revival.

The sneering cynics;
Who had announced God’s demise;
Were by Philomena’s miracles;
Dealt a surprise.

Saint Philomena’s fame;
Spread everywhere;
And people ran to her;
Pleading in prayer.

No one was forgotten;
No one was left out;
The cripples;
The dying;
The sad;
And the needy;
All of them found;
Her miracles speedy.

From heaven she surveys;
All of our needs;
And on our behalf;
With God she pleads.

Say a prayer to Saint Philomena;
And light her a candle;
Because there is no problem;
That she cannot handle.

There’s one thing more;
We should not ignore;
From her grave of silent obscurity;
She has come back to teach us;
About goodness and purity.

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Sleepyjohn

February 6th, 2006 at 10:51 pm

“We don’t see things as they are. We see things as we are.”

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FerdinandMarcos

February 6th, 2006 at 11:50 pm

Now GMA has one on the Lopez’s. ABS-CBN now needs to play ball with GMA, if they don’t want DOJ Gonzalez to throw the books on them. Expect less GMA criticism from this channel from now on.

No loss here, Kapuso at INQ7 solid ini (walang kinikilingan).

I agree with Sleepyjohn, the Lopez family has been using politcs to further their interest. May mga manok sila, Ted Failon (tama ba alala ko na may sexual harassment case din ito dati na nadismiss), Noli D, Erap (todo supporta sila nung tumatakbo pa lang at di pa naiimpeach), Loren L.

May mangyayari nga ba sa Stampeed investigation? Eh kung yung Pasig rub-out (carnapper kuno), huling-huli na sa camera, eh nailusot pa
(nailusot sa batas, pero alam nang tao na sobrang guilty sila), ito pa kaya? Palakasan at pera pera lang iyan.

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pulsopinoy

February 7th, 2006 at 12:51 am

sa pera lamang…
ABS-CBN is the only to blame.

I was watching the presscon of the ABS-CBN executives. Poor guys, they are not ready for anything – they are: for money.
Security was never a priority, as Rene Luspo would say “my boys did their best” made me furious! He should resign. More than 70 deaths is never the BEST for those who lost their loved ones. Automatic, Chief Luspo must resign.
Drama is not the best option. Seeing the forgiving (if not dramatic) Ms. MAALAALA MO KAYA, is simply pure acting – her teary-eyed looks cannot substitute the tears of those who are mourning…
This tragedy is a wake-up call to the Lopez empire – LIFE is more important than business.

Those who perished are “martyrs” of our poverty-stricken nation. Where opportunities to live should not be made as means to make “ratings.” Where media are making themselves as “vultures” to millions of poor Filipinos… Where hardwork is de-valued by a mere “game of chance.”

I admire the PDI correspondent who posed the question: why does ABS-CBN promotes shows that condone mendicancy, game of chance or dole-outs… Mr. Eugenio Lopez III, evaluate your shows…

This is for the cause of those who died, suffered and glued because of the greed of people who simply want to entertain the poor with PROFIT as the only motive of their rotten souls.

http://pulsopinoy.blogspot.com

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blackboard

February 7th, 2006 at 1:35 am

Let us give dignity to the 74 people who died. Let us not blame poverty. Let us not trivialize their death. This is not a pathetic game show. This is real life.

http://blackboard.prepys.com/archives/2006/02/06/wowowee-its-not-about-poverty/

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floyd

February 7th, 2006 at 2:38 am

palagay ko panahon na talaga nilang mamatay period.

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neil1969

February 7th, 2006 at 3:25 am

Let us stop blaming for the sake of blaming.

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baycas

February 7th, 2006 at 6:53 am

the following news item taken from today’s philstar online (ref. News200602070401) entitled Class suit poised vs ABS-CBN by Michael Punongbayan and Non Alquitran…

—–

…Pasig City Mayor Vicente Eusebio admitted yesterday that its office issued a permit for the show but blamed its organizers, saying they did not coordinate with the police to ensure order…

…However, ABS-CBN’s Jan. 17 letter to Eusebio showed that the show’s organizers did ask the city government for security assistance.

“We will deploy 60 security guards and 15 VIP escorts while the Philippine Sports Commission will also deploy 60 security guards. But we believe we cannot handle the peace and order alone. We humbly request your office and the office of the chief of police of Pasig City, the Traffic and Parking Management Office and the help of the barangay officials from Brgy. Orambo for the deployment of police personnel, traffic enforcers and tanods,” the letter stated, a copy of which was obtained by The STAR.

The permit, signed by Eusebio, was granted on Jan. 24. A copy of the permit was furnished to the police.

Further, a Philippine National Police memo signed by Senior Superintendent Raul Medina, Pasig City police chief, showed that police units were ordered to secure the site. The memo was issued Jan. 18, a day after ABS-CBN sent its letter to Eusebio.

Commanders were ordered to work with barangay officials. At least three squad cars were to conduct patrols around the venue. SWAT and bomb disposal units were also ordered to deploy as well as traffic officers.

The chief of the police intelligence division was ordered to “deploy sufficient number of personnel to provide covert security inside and outside the engagement area.”

All units were to be at the area two hours “before the start of the activity for attendance and briefing by the ground commander.”

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ichtus

February 7th, 2006 at 8:15 am

Sleepyjohn got it by the balls. We see things as we are. And quite rightly so. There’s nothing metaphysical about it. Its a simpler and humbling way of saying that “no one is exempt from the blame”. Thomas Merton, the Trappist monk, was ridiculed for saying that everyone, including himself was to blame for the Holocaust and Hitler. But he was right. Activism and apathy are strange bedfellows. They do not repel, but rather complement each other in creating a reality; a Now, that not everyone is happy about, but all are responsible for.

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odai

February 7th, 2006 at 9:37 am

I personally believed that the organizers and the management of ABS-CBN should be penalised for the tragedy. I was deeply saddened when I saw the news in BBC 1 AND TOTALY DISGUSTED TO SEE PGMA AND NOLI DE CASTRO na obviously ay namumulitika lang nung pumunta sila sa hospital. I was even asked by my British collegues why do Filipinos patronise these kind of game shows? Well what can I say? Of course due to poverty, yes poverty na sinasamantala naman ng TV shows like Wowowee to win the crowd and use it in desperation to increase their rating. How pathetic! I’ve seen several episodes of Wowowee as I am a TFC subscriber, nakakainis ang strategies ni Willie na pinaiiyak ang mga contestants para mag mukhang kaawa-awa. Tinatanggalan nya ng dignidad ang mga tao and he always make fun of those poor people na hindi maka pag-English na katulad nya! And how dare you Willie to still try to uplift yourself dun sa mga interviews mo after the tragedy? Masyado kang nagpapaka-bayani, pilit na pilit naman ang iyak mo obvious naman! Mahiya ka naman! Dapat sa Wowowee, tanggalin na sa ere!!

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FerdinandMarcos

February 7th, 2006 at 10:58 am

After all the finger pointing and blame throwing is done, somebody really has to pay. And pay BIG TIME!

Hirap sa atin, ang mura nang buhay nang tao. Ok na ba yung sagutin lang ang ataol at palibing ng ABS-CBN eh ayos na (although ganito din ang ginagawa nang mga Bus company sa nasagasaan, sinisugradong patay muna tapos sasaguting palibing)? Ang makatarungan ay bayaran ang earning potential nang nang nadisgrasya. Kailangan ito dahil karaniwan ay may sinusuportahan din ang taong napinsala, paano na lang ang kinabukasan nang pamilya nun? Anong mangyayari sa mga napinsalang may mga anak na pinag-aaral?

Bukod dito, kung palaging napagmumulta nang napaka-laki ang pabaya, siguradong matinding pag-aaral ang gagawin nang mga ito sa susunod bago gumawa nang mga ganitong programa. Sa panahon ngayon eh bara bara lang. Kung masusunod ang gustong compensation nang ABS-CBN, baka katumbas lang ang ibabayad nila sa mga napinsala sa kalahating taong sweldo ni Kris sa Game Ka Na Ba. 74 na buhay kapalit nang kalahating taon na sweldo nang isang talent nila, makatarungan ba iyon?

Let’s just hope and pray that the DOJ, which is the puppet of Malacanang, would not use this as an ace up their sleeves against the Lopez (i.e. be ABS-CBN becomes GMA’s mouth piece or the DOJ will make sure their TV netowrk goes down the drain). – Malabo ba wish ko? –

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INSIDE PCIJ: Stories behind our stories » Panic-induced stampede aggravated by narrow exits, lack of exit and crowd control plans — scientists

February 7th, 2006 at 11:09 am

[…] A group of scientists made this observation even as a government-formed investigating team is set to submit today its own findings on the "Wowowee" tragedy. The Samahan ng Nagtataguyod ng Agham at Teknolohiya para sa Sambayanan (Agham) said that last Saturday’s disaster had all the ingredients of a panic-induced stampede. […]

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men0k

February 7th, 2006 at 1:06 pm

koj,

i don’t think we’re of the same frequency here.. i think u’r looking at the leaves/branches of a tree with bitter fruits… don’t try to blame the fruits or the branches or the leaves…. try to look at the roots and the kind of soil the roots are getting “nutrients” from… i don’t connect the dots, i don’t have to.. kasi matagal ko nang alam at matagal ko ng na-realize ang problema about sa kahirapan ntin… it so happen na si MIDGET ang nkaupo ngaun.. had it been someone else, ganito pa rin ako.. ituturo ko pa rin sa gobyerno ang blame kung bakit mahirap ang pilipinas at mga tao.. and you don’t even have to admire my “determination to get rid of MIDGET”.. it is just that, hindi ko mapayagan ang sarili ko na maupo na lang sa tabi and wait for the elections just because “i have the luxury of eating 3 meals a day”… good for you, kaya mo un.. pasensya na pare, hindi ko kasi kya yun eh.. kya lagi mo pa rin akong mkikitang nagpo-post dito hanggat hindi nagkakaron ng mgandang resulta ang problemang ito…

you said…

“we started to blame everybody except the people who went there and specially those who started pushing to gain to those who where ahead of them.”

nakuha mo pang sisihin ang mga tao na un?.. maski nanulak ung nsa likod, the fact that if they had other choice than being there, would they be there para “manulak” ng nsa unahan nila sa pila para lang makapasok?…

May I ask you… bakit wala ka dun (granted n nsa pinas ka ha) at bakit wala ako dun?… kasi sbi mo nga, me, just like you “have the luxury of eating 3 meals a day”… sila kasi hindi eh.. wla na silang makain at, unlike us, wala na silang mkitang future for themselves and their families…

still, i’l stick to my question “can’t you get it?”….

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edum

February 7th, 2006 at 2:53 pm

nakakalungkot talaga.

namatay na ang mga taong parang daga, sinisi pa ng hayop na security chief na si Luspo.

makulit daw sila kaya sila namatay.

anong klaseng hayop ba iyang si Luspo? sinisi ang mga biktima?

imbis na aminin ang pagkakamali, sinisi ang mga namatay.

tutuo kaya ang usapusapan na inutos ng isang Susan Carag na sisihin ng mga guwardiya ang mga biktima?

feeling daw kasi nitong Susan Carag na ito, siya ang may-ari ng abs-cbn…at may kinalaman kaya siya sa pagkamatay ng camera man na si Bert? (itanong niyo sa mga guwardiya niya)

nakakalungkot kung tutuo. kasi dati pa daw pinagtatakpan ng abs ang mga hayop na ito.

sana mahuli na sila’t makulong kung sila nga ang may sala.

pero dapat mag public apology muna ang mga ito.

bago sila ikulong.

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desiderata

February 7th, 2006 at 3:59 pm

Now comes calls for removal of shows like Wowowee from being aired as they promote mendicancy and easy-money vs. hard work. Where were all these people before the tragedy struck? Why weren’t they making these calls before? Hipocrisy and grandstanding!

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trigofever_2000

February 7th, 2006 at 4:27 pm

i dont think its fair for the government to put blame on ABS-CBN alone. the network company did anticipated the situation. however it was not enough to put control of the situation. proper coordination with baranggay officials, ULTRA security personnel and the PNP should have taken place. and it was laso mentioned that the show organizers did prepared for this event for one week which i think is not enough since money is at stake here and people would go out of their way just to be a part of it and try their luck. one week is not enough, it should be months. for the government, should they pursue on this case, should wait for the victims to appear and testify on this issue. still, the network is doing the best their can to accomodate the victims. also, the government must contribute to this kind of situations and must serve as a wake up call that poverty is increasing and the government must focus on the program for the poor specifically where the President’s main objective is to concentrate on developing the country through means of creating jobs for Filipinos. the government must work hand in hand with the media to uplift the lives of those less fortunate. stop looking for mistakes but look for what can be done to prevent from doing a mistake. stop pulling others down, try to pull them up and be proud that you have been a part of that persons success.

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tambuli

February 7th, 2006 at 4:45 pm

isnt the police station just a stone’s throw away? in a situation where large crowds gather, isnt it the police’s crowd control unit that should be policiing the lines??

extreme poverty is one factor, imagine lining up days ahead of the event just to get a FAT chance of taking home the jockpot, sad thing is people had to pay with their lives to drive home a point.

HERE ARE MY TWO CENTS WORTH FOR ATE GLUE, ATE GLUE ARE YOU LISTENING? PLS LISTEN TO THE PLIGHT OF MILLIONS OF OUR KABABAYAN, THEY ARE BEING DRIVEN TO POVERTY AND DESPARATION BY YOUR MISMANAGEMENT. YOU ARE PROMOTING A CULTURE OF MENDICANCY, MEDIOCRITY AND APATHY.

TO ALL TV NETWORK, PLS DONT USE THE POOR FOR YOUR BATTLE TO GET THE HIGHEST RATING. YOU ARE JUST PLAYING WITH THE EMOTIONS OF THE POOR, SOMETIMES, PEOPLE BECOME NUMBED BY HUNGER, THUS THEY BECOME APATHETIC AND THE FIRST RULE FOR THEM IS SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST.

KAWAWA TALAGA ANG PILIPINAS AND KAWAWANG MGA PILIPINO ….

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thorax

February 7th, 2006 at 5:27 pm

For me, all should be blamed.

So much for blaming others!
What about yourself?
Did you do our duty as a Filipino.

Who did vote?
Who didnt see tv shows?
Who didnt need money?

I feel guilty and shame to the tragedy.
I did not enough.

Nobody knows that its you, living your life to be a better Filipino, that will make a better Philippines.

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rego

February 7th, 2006 at 9:50 pm

Rather than blaming each others, it is very good to take personal responsibility to any unfortunate events that happened in the country. BUT DONT BE TOO HARD TO YOURSELF!. A simple emphaty would be just fine.

While tragedy such as Wowowee stampede is something that we should be concerned about. It way beyond our influence. To be more effective, try to dwell more on your circle of influence. Things or areas that are pretty much in your control and wher you can effect more changes. And keep moving on from there on!

Still, you are admirable, Thorax!

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kutilpa

February 7th, 2006 at 11:18 pm

I am deeply disturbed by ABS-CBN’s first live coverage of this gruesome event. The network was running segments of its reporters interviewing survivors and the soundbytes from these interviewees are very consistent: Laging sinasabi ng mga na-i-interbyu na hindi naman gusto ng ABS-CBN na mangyari ito, at walang kasalanan si Willie o ang management ng ABS-CBN.

Paulit-ulit ding sinasabi na gusto lang ng ABS-CBN na makapag-pasaya at makatulong…is this the message that they want the Philippines and the rest of the world to know? Ibig bang sabihin porke gusto nilang makatulong, they have the license to tease thousands of desperate people with prizes for the sake of defeating Eat Bulaga sa ratings game?

I don’t think sapat na sagutin lang nila ang mga kabaong o pang ospital ng mga pumila sa Wowowee. It should go deeper than that.

Aminin man nila o hindi, they should re-think the way they are conceptualising their programming. Clearly, Wowowee is exploiting the poor’s desire to achieve a better life, no matter the costs.

I subscribe to the TFC and I pay probably three times the cost of an entire Home or Sky Cable subscription just for TFC alone. And what do I get? Puro si Willie at si Kris, at the Buzz live airing these nonsense showbiz crap that does nothing, absolutely nothing to uplift our moral standards. Ang TV patrol world, puro yung away lasing sa kanto, o rumble ng mga fraternity gang sa Tondo. And this is what bullshit that we want to show to the world?

Ngayon, ABS-CBN is offering live video streaming of Pinoy Big Brother (celebrity edition) plus other ABS-CBN shows for a price sa Internet. Samantalang I can watch 24 Oras video stream for free sa inq7.net, and I get a better-produced news programme. Kung meron lang GMA Pinoy TV dito sa Singapore, I will switch to that channel, hora mismo. Sabik lang ako na makarining nang nananagalog kaya pinagtitiisan ko ang TFC.

But again, I might let go of my TFC subscription, as a form of protest to what this network is doing to degrade our countrymen further.

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henrietta

February 8th, 2006 at 12:29 am

baycas said,

February 5, 2006 @ 8:39 pm

preliminary investigation (c/o dilg main man at present) reveal a constantly growing crowd exceeding ultra’s capacity prompting concern from security personnels. the crowd outside ultra, even if still calm at first, cannot anymore be ignored and in fact swelled to a proportion beyond the jurisdiction of the abs-cbn securities.

whose job is it beyond this jurisdiction? who are in a better position to prevent an unruly crowd? who are experts in the field of preemptive strikes? now, please tell us that the preemptive response is just limited to rallies. can the tragic situation be avoided by implementing a calibrated preemptive response to the ever-growing crowd?

…“nasa pansitan ba ‘ika n’yo? kaya pala!”

——

i agree on baycas’ post. abs cbn and the wowowee staff asked for the assistance of the government since they have specialists, waiting to be deployed, on events like those.

quoted on the philstar article (which was also posted above), “But we believe we cannot handle the peace and order alone.” common sense dictates that when somebody says that they cannot handle things alone, eventually the persons who will help are ‘experts’ on the situation.

abs cbn asked for help, were they given enough help?

also, quoting this comment from a related article also posted here at PCIJ (http://www.pcij.org/blog/?p=587),

Loi_Pogi said,

February 7, 2006 @ 3:30 pm

i beg to differ with abs-cbn’s staunch defenders who claim that the network DID NOT expect and NEVER KNEW that thousands would flock to the venue. A day before the event, ABS-CBN’s sky patrol reported it live on MUP – the “wowowee diehards” lining up for the event.
————–
even though it was ALREADY reported in a reputable news program that there were tons of people who were at the event, now why DIDN’T the police and other government people acted immediately? beyond the fact that they WERE ALSO ABLE TO KNOW that ten thousands of people are already there, they just stayed idle, only waiting for a tragedy to happen. policemen who were already at deployed at the ULTRA should have already realized that the crowd increased, now why didn’t they asked for more backup to assist the people?

just like in typical old filipino movies, help arrives only after casualties has been made.

ABS CBN might have commited mistakes, however, the police should ALSO realize that they also have faults.

and also, for those people who are saying that abs cbn and wowowee is always after the earning that they would get, have some sense of respect for what they have done. they reached out to all of the victims quickly. cant you guys at least appreciate sincerity? nobody wanted the tragedy to happen, and yet a show that was just doing its job to give help and entertainment to the masses is being blamed.

natapat lang na sa isang event na inorganize ng abs cbn nangyari ito.

someone mentioned here that 2 people died in the musiklaban concert last year. yes, ‘2’ is far from ’74’, however, lives were still lost. no factfinding committees were formed, no 1 week ‘pakikiramay’ marathon was done, news wasn’t that much. just because that the ultra tragedy was caused by a big network that’s why it was given a lot of attention? that there must be a someone to be blamed? i bet the deaths in that musiklaban concert was blamed to the crowd.

`nuff said.

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henrietta

February 8th, 2006 at 12:44 am

one more thing.

the topic is about the incident, NOT which NETWORK is better. i hope the person above me (kutilpa to be exact) understands this. it doesnt really concern us how much kris aquino ruins your day.

kthnbye.

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kutilpa

February 8th, 2006 at 1:08 am

Dear Henrietta,

The INCIDENT that killed those people was organised by the NETWORK, so I think that a comparison of ABS-CBN and GMA Network’s programming concepts should also be put under scrutiny, if just to show how a broadcaster could produce programmes like game shows without causing deaths or degrading a person’s dignity.

And as a consumer of ABS-CBN’s programmes, like Kris’ Game ka na ba?, I think I have every right to complain if I don’t get my money’s worth. Kris Aquino does not even get the chance to ruin my day, as I will just flip to another channel to spare myself the grief of watching her kababawans.

Cheers,

Kutilpa

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floyd

February 8th, 2006 at 1:09 am

the people in wowowee tragedy deserves to die…
watching the news and the events that followed. reading lots and lots of inputs about the tragedy. after all the hullabaloo i came to the realization that they deserve to die.

yes the 70+ deserved to die. and the 500+ deserved their injuries.

they were the kids the old men and women.

they were the decrepit and the estranged people of our society.

and they deserve to die.

while others may say that the show offers vague hope or rather a hopeless scenario of easy money.

i believe that all of this is out of the question.

it was never the security nor the lack of it.
it was never the poverty nor the hunger behind it.

it was their choice to die and get killed.

thats the truth yet we could never accept the truth because were angry and we want to point our fingers to anyone and to anybody.

they said that they didnt see it coming.
that the people were pushing and people who were giving the tickets were throwing them in the air as if enticing a pack of rabid dogs.

the point here is that though its true that they never knew that they would meet their death but that’s how it is in the game of life.

we take risks.

to win that one million from a show that offers quick relief is hoping against hope that they would bring that pack of money home and have food on the table was never a question but a given.

they say that it was because of a lack of foresight. that the people behind the show didnt look out for the welfare of the people.

clearly if we follow that line of thinking it is easy to arrive at the idea that it was the fault of the government thats why people are hungry.

the truth behind here is the people choose to be hungry. they do not fight back. they remain complacent and got bought by money in every election. they remain silent in the face of a stupid corrupt president.

it is enough reason being hungry to fight against a system yet they chose not to. they chose to remain in a system where they could find immediate relief from entertainment magazines/shows and the evening news/telenovelas etc.

some people might say that we are conditioned to act as such.
that we never saw our stupidity as a society due to our education. that we chose to keep a government that was never there to begin with.

but to never fight back and go against a system is worse than living a life supporting such.

ergo it is their choice to go there at ULTRA.

to walk in the heat of the sun and stay there.

they thought that by enjoying their lives in that moment it would make the lives of their families better.

selfishness was never this huge of a magnitude.

it was selfishness to fend for oneself while not fending for our country and for whats right.

but there is a catch here. the children dont know. the old women dont know. the people who died dont know. because its the life they’ve been living since the day they were born.

in the end it was never their choice rather its their happiness thats at stake.

the simple happiness of having been able to partake of a game show that reaches down to their kind.

the drama here is that the people who died were searching for their happiness.

only that their happiness came with a price.

we can only hope and pray that we realize all these before its too late.

and we’d be fending ourselves to that great wheel of tragedy.

if only that the deaths of the victims and the survivors may not all be in vain…

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naykika

February 8th, 2006 at 2:00 am

floyd ; following your rational-will this be the straw that will break the camel’s back? or are we still be seeing more of the same?

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floyd

February 8th, 2006 at 3:59 am

naykika> i really dont know. i even dont know if thats the right question to begin with.

-_-

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koj

February 8th, 2006 at 11:00 am

menok,

i wasn’t there because i made my choice to work, so i can continue to eat my 3 meals a day routine. so why didn’t you go? isn’t it because you were given choices and you chose not to go? the people who were there made their choices too and that is, not to work for a week (some were already there since monday) and take their chances with the show. many most likely have jobs they chose to abandon (albeit for a while) for a chance of a quick, big buck!

indeed we are of different frequency, it’s okay, we can continue to disagree. continue blaming the govt (for everything) if that makes your day!

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Niszan

February 8th, 2006 at 11:02 am

To all the morons who balmes GMA for the Ultra tragedy….wake up….there’s no one to blame but the organizer…period….

If you reason out it’s all because of poverty the reason why peOple pin their hope for the promised prize….it’s not because of GMA….THE ONLY REASON WHY THE PHILIPPINES IS WHAT IT IS RIGHT NOW IS BECAUSE OF MARCOS…..IT’S THE ROOT CAUSE….NO MORE NO LESS….

and lastly, to all those politicians and poeple like you who has nothing to offer but criticism….think of what you can do to help improve your country……

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rego

February 8th, 2006 at 1:04 pm

If the report on the possible trigger of the stampede is true, I believe most of the us here may have overreacted…

http://news.inq7.net/nation/index.php?index=1&story_id=65466
———————————————————-
Possible trigger

As to the question of what exactly triggered the deadly stampede, the report said that from the accounts of survivors, “the most often quoted circumstance” was “the point where an ABS-CBN staff [member] named Mel Feliciano announced to the crowd gathered at the Lower Ringside Passage (LRP) gate that the first 300 people in line beneath the covered walkway along Captain Javier Street would be chosen to participate in the ‘Pera o Bayong’ portion” of the show.

It added: “He further excited the crowd by saying that these 300 people would have the chance to win prizes ranging from P10,000 to P20,000 up to P50,000.

“The announcement subsequently incited the people who were outside the official queue … to push their way into the already jampacked queue, hoping that they could squeeze in among the first 300…

“At this point, the network’s staff closed the gates, hoping to control the sudden deluge of people wanting to be the ‘first 300’ in line…

“Whether by the pressure exerted on the gate itself or whether the guards finally relented to open the gate again, when the gate was flung open, the crowd surged forward with tremendous speed and force.

“Coupled with the steep decline and the uneven surface of the road in the LRP gate (which is normally used only for vehicular traffic), this eventually caused those in front of the onrushing mob to stumble and fall, [which] culminated in the stampede that caused the majority of the deaths and injuries.”

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jr_lad

February 8th, 2006 at 1:25 pm

For those people who are blaming the victims and saying that they deserve to die maybe you should think again and be sensitive enough. Other than blaming them for being there in ultra, much of the blame should fall on the organizers and the LGU. What can you expect sa ganito kalaking volume ng tao ? Mga tao na galing sa kung san-sang lugar na hindi naman magkakakakilala? Hindi eto mga rallyist na may mga kanya-kanyang leaders o martials na nagbabantay sa kani-kanilang mga hanay. Walang crowd control. At sa nag-aabsuwelto sa mga organizers na sinasabing ginawa naman nila ang kanilang parte, you have to take note na sa interview kay Willie Revillame, sinabi niya na matagal na nilang pinlano ang event na eto. Mga six months before pa lang daw nagumpisa na silang magplano. Clearly security was not given emphasis on their planning. Sininsesational nila ang araw ng kanilang anniversaryo. Araw-araw nilang binabalita eto kung gaano kaengrande ang mangyayaring event. Too much hype were given. Tinawag ang atension ng tao lalo na ang mga mahihirap sa mga premyong ipamimigay kaya nagdagsaan ang mga tao.
And I don’t accept the explanation ng abs-cbn na etong programa nila ay hindi ipinopromote ang mendicancy bagkos ay para makatulong sa mga kapuspalad nating kababayan. Yan ay isang kalokohan. Kung gusto nilang makatulong nandiyan ang Abs-Cbn foundation. Nandiyan ang Bantay-Bata. Hindi mo na kailangang hiyain pa ang tao sa harap ng tv para lang matulungan eto. At hindi ipinapangalandakan sa buong mundo ang totoong pagtulong sa kapwa. It’s all about the network war. Battle for the ratings. And as what other tfc subscribers here are saying, in bad taste ang mga programa ng tfc. I don’t want to watch either Willie, Kris or Boy Abuda also. I only watch the news na until now ang pinapalabas ay puro pa rin about sa tragedy. Lahat ng anggulo ng iyakan ng mga biktima at interviews sa mga biktima na nagsasabing “walang kasalanan ang Abs-Cbn at si Willie” aksidente ang nangyari. Well, kahit sila na ang tinamaan scoop pa rin. Kinokundisyon pa ang mind ng mga tao. Parang ginisa sa sariling mantika ang mga biktima. Ang masakit ginagamit pa ang mga biktima para palabasing wala silang kasalanan. That’s pure exploitation. Tama ang sabi ng fact finding team, the people were treated as pack of wolves thrown with a piece of meat.

It seems VACC awill repreresent the victims for a class suit against the organizers or whoever is found liable for this great tragedy.

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men0k

February 8th, 2006 at 1:42 pm

it is so amazing to ‘know’ that some people here have the nerve to say that those people who perished in ULTRA deserved to die, that those people who died there made their choice to go there, that there’s nobody to be blamed except the people themselves, someone even said that some of those people skipped work just to go there,etc.., tsk, tsk , tsk….

my simple take on this is when i first heard about the news, the instinctive feeling was sympathy… for me it’s simple, people who went there just really don’t have anything to eat anymore… had they known that they will die there, of course, they wouldn’t have made that choice… but going there doesn’t equate to stampede then to death… going there equates to hope=wowowee=tickets=prizes=money=food=education for their children=better future…

we, the people who are ‘luckier’ than them have the equation of hope=work=money=food=education for our children=better future… where lies the difference?… work. we know that Filipinos are diligent and hard-working… but it’s just that there are no work available… and those people who work have not enough salary to compensate their needs… have you gone to DFA in manila?.. do you know how many Filipinos are lining up to get out of the country?… even engineering newly-grads are going to other countries to work as factory workers?… to work as secretaries?… to work as mobile phone sales agent?… to work as salesladies?… to be away with their loved ones and children?… and the government, with their being evil, as if is trying to lure Filipnos to get out of the country because you will be hailed as “Bagong Bayani”…. I am an OFW, i have nothing against those who are leaving the Phils to work outside and provide descent living to their families so that they won’t need to line up to any shows for hope of winning prizes… but when will this practice end?… (15.5% of HUNGRY and POOR Filipinos are there now, 12.4 out of 80 Million).. i know that IF ONLY, IF ONLY, IF ONLY, the Phils can provide a more descent means of living for everyone and not just for 10% of the people there, there will be no OFWs… we don’t want to be hailed heroes, you know why?.. because just like those who perished in ULTRA, we are just hoping against hope that there will be ‘prizes’ here in this country that we can win ang bring back to our families there… there might also be ‘stampede’ here but please don’t blame us and don’t say that we made this choice… it’s not our choice, because THERE ARE NO OPTIONS… there can only be a choice if there are OPTIONS.. but clearly, there’s NONE.

Can’t you get it?…..

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driven

February 8th, 2006 at 2:10 pm

Nakakalungkot talaga ang nangyaring ito. Hindi ako lubos makapaniwala na sa isang game show pa ito mangyayari. Kung iisipin natin, hindi ba’t kasama na sa ating kultura ang mga ganitong klaseng mga palabas? Kasama na din sa ating kultura ang mga ibat’-ibang pa-premyo upang tangkilikin ang kanilang mga programa o produkto. pero tila wala tayong kasawa-sawang sumali o tumangkilik sa mga ganitong programa. madami tayong dapat tingnang bagay kung bakit nangyari ito. tama na siguro ang sisihan. hindi naman makatarungan na magturo na lamang tayo na hindi naman natin pa nakikita ang lahat ng angulo. mahirap pero minsan dala ng ating sariling opinion ay nagiging bias na tayo. tamang sabihin na meron talaga tayong problema pero dapat ay alamin natin sa ating sarili kung ano ba talaga ang ugat ng lahat ng ito. isang aspeto ng pwede nating tingnan ay yung aking nabanggit na kasama na ito sa ating kultura. ang sumugal. sa akin, hindi lamang natin dapat isisi sa programang ito na ginamit nila ang mga tao para sa kanilang sariling interes. dahil nga sa mahilig tayong sa sugal e nakikipagsapalaran na tayo sa mga ganitong klaseng programa. nagkataon lang siguro na malaki talaga ang mga papremyo kaya mas madami ang nagpunta. tama ang isang eksperto sa pagsasabing hindi lamang kahirapan ang nag-udyok sa mga tao na pumunta kung hindi ang pag-asang makakakuha pa sila ng mas malaki sa kung ano ang meron sila. pero bago tumaas ang inyong mga kilay ay dapat huwag pa din natin ilayo ang usapan na may mga naapektuhan at may mga dapat managot. akin lamang pinalawak ang mga angulo na dapat nating tingnan sa pag-aanalisa sa mga ganitong klaseng programa. nakakalungkot mang isipin na baka pagkalipas ng 10 araw ay makakalimutan na ang balitang ito.

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driven

February 8th, 2006 at 3:10 pm

ito ay hindi usapin kung sino ang mas magaling o nakaka-angat. ito ay usapin ng mga alituntuning dapat sundin, dapat masunod, at mga bagay-bagay na may mas malalim pang ugat.

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Airness

February 8th, 2006 at 7:59 pm

just a thought, why don’t they file charges to those who stepped on those who died? why don’t they look for the one who gave the first killer push? i think they would be more liable than anyone else. kung alam lang sana ng mga pilipino ang ibig sabihin ng salitang “PILA”…….

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FerdinandMarcos

February 8th, 2006 at 9:34 pm

From email that’s been going around:

When I was having breakfast last Saturday, my sister told me that there was
a stampede at the PSC-Ultra for the 1st Anniversary of Wowowee. I dismissed
the comment as I thought it was just ABS exaggerating the public interest
in the show. But my sis said: “More than 60 people died”.

The statement was enough to shake me up and wake me up: Sixty people!?!

I turned on the television. Both ABS and GMA were covering the event. The
footages were haunting. It was a tragic disaster. There’s no other way to
describe it.

Similar to the Payatas Tragedy that happened years back, the Ultra Stampede
is one we can label as: Only in the Philippines. The label is meant to be
an insult, BTW. And it is an insult to each and every Filipino reading this
piece of material… and yes that includes me. I share in the guilt and
shame.

Two things that probably led to such a tragedy are as follows:

1. CULTURE OF POVERTY

The poverty level in the Philippines is at an all time low. The last time
I checked, 91% of Filipinos live below poverty line. Unemployment rate
remains high, the population continues to grow, and wages have not
increased from 5 years ago. The forex improved, but only as a result of
dollar remittances.

TV shows have romanticized poverty. Movie themes, human-interest shows,
and magazine-type shows quote those heart-stabbing lines like: “Ganyan
talaga ang buhay. Kung sino pa ang mahirap siya ang lalong naghihirap.”

One time I was driving along Quezon Avenue, this kid was begging on the
street under the rain. I rolled down the window and told the kid to go
home to his parents and let his parents work to provide for him. He told me
his parents do not have work. When I insisted that he shouldn’t be
working, he threw such lines to me. And this kid looked like he was 5 years
old!!! Where did he learn to speak those lines? From TV? From his parents?

What are we teaching the children? That it’s good to be poor because people
are sympathetic to you? It’s good to be poor because the artistas are
helping the poor. It’s good to be poor because GMA only cares about the
poor.

Instead of teaching our children to work hard to rise above poverty. We,
the elders, with the help of Mass Media, are teaching them to EMBRACE
poverty!

What we have are more people staying at home, not having jobs, but having a
lot of children to feed. They entertain themselves with television. Some
of them join raffles and game shows. Others write to “Grant your Wish” type
shows. But half of them cannot even afford to join those game shows: they
do not have product labels they can drop to join Laban o Bawi, they do not
have costumes they can use for the games.

Then came the show Wowowee… a game show that exists to dole-out cash to
the poor of Metro Manila.

2. EXPLOITATION OF THE POOR

Wowowee is not your ordinary game show. Unlike Eat Bulaga’s Laban o Bawi,
you don’t have to send product labels to participate in the games of
Wowowee. You don’t have to wear a costume.

Unlike Starstruck or Star in a Million, you don’t need to have talent to
join Wowowee. Unlike Game Ka Na Ba?, you don’t need to be intelligent.

All one has to do, as I’ve been told, was to fall in line outside ABS-CBN.
If host Willie Revillame spots you, then you are in luck. You may be part
of the Bigat-10 where you win at least P1,000. Or you can tell a joke on
air. If he likes your joke, you get Php500. If your joke is corny, you get
Php100. Still not bad for doing nothing but fall in line.

If host Willie fails to spot you, at the very least you got fed with
biscuits from sponsors, which is not at all bad considering you have
nothing at home. Add to that, you were entertained by the celebrities. For
a moment, you forgot your troubles at home and tomorrow is another day.

Whenever a certain poor fellow wins a prize, Willie would then ask the
person to talk about the sad story of his life. And then the host gives a
spiel on how HE and the SHOW exist to HELP THE POOR.

Thus, “the poors” fascination for the show, adulation towards Willie, and
interest to go to the show’s first year anniversary is quite
understandable.

When we combine those two factors together, a PSC-Ultra Disaster is bound
to happen.

As of last night, 75 people have died and scores were injured. Dead bodies
lying on the pavement, lined up like fish being dried under the sun. Most
of them were elderly women; women who should’ve been home, resting. But
because their children could not find jobs to feed the grandchildren, they
felt the need to take their chances via the game show. I feel for the
people and I cannot blame them for coming there. I cannot help but feel
disgusted towards some people involved in the whole drama.

Early on, people were crowding the entrance where the stampede took place.
Some people still wanted to go inside the arena to join the raffle, not
caring about those who died. The Red Cross, headed by Richard Gordon had a
hard time getting the ambulances to the venue. He had to scream at the
people to make some space, as some of the people lying there were still
breathing.

In the afternoon, a reporter of ABS-CBN was interviewing mothers whose
children were missing. One guy told the reporter he wanted to make a
public service announcement. When the reporter gave the guy the microphone,
they guy said he came to Ultra to ask the help of host Willie to send him
to school. And that he was appealing to Willie to send him to school so he
can be an actor and fend for his family. If I were the reporter, I
would’ve grabbed the microphone from the guy and slapped it right across
the guy’s face.

Has poverty gotten the best of us, Filipinos, that we have forgotten our
spirit of Bayanihan and care?

Some of the people at Ultra were saying that they do not have money for
fare. Some came from as far as Bicol. At first I thought these people
probably lost their bags in the commotion, thus the need for cash. But
some of the women there said: they came to Manila in the hopes of winning
money and they really didn’t allocate return-fare.

Why on earth would anyone travel more than 300 kilometers, without money
for return fare? Were they expecting manna from heaven?

Suddenly, I heard another tidbit that really got into my nerves. One of the
women there said (in Tagalog, but translated here): I came all the way from
Tarlac. They told us that once you get a ticket to go inside, you
automatically get Php20,000. I was hoping to get Php20,000.

No wonder people were scrambling to get inside and get a ticket. Imagine
telling a person who needs to feed a family of 7 that he can automatically
get a Php20,000! That’s probably the most money they can hold in their
lifetime!

But what disgusts me is the continuing exploitation of ABS-CBN of the poor,
presenting these stories in the news-shows, saying that the people “loved
Willie.” The management says they feel sorry for the victims, but ”
accidents do happen.” And that they did everything possible to prevent this
but “accidents happen.”

Add to that were the crocodile tears shed by Willie Revillame. [Maybe I am
just judgmental]. He said he was circling around Ultra the night before
watching the people. He said his heart sank because he “wanted to help”
them all.

If he did so, why didn’t he stop and feed those people? Why didn’t he tell
his staff to ensure enough Ambulance and Crowd Control Measures and
Disaster plans?

As early as Thursday ABS-CBN news reported 5,000 people had already lined
up outside Ultra. The production staff knew the maximum capacity of ULTRA.
They should’ve started distributing tickets as early as Thursday so these
people can go home and freshen up before the Saturday show. Another 5,000
people or more added up on Friday and a multitude more on Saturday morning.
Had they distributed tickets early on, these people wouldn’t have crowded
there with no food and no proper ventilation. Other stations have held big
events such as these, but they pre-distribute tickets. Had ABS-CBN done
this, there would’ve been two lines that Saturday morning: The entrance for
those who already had tickets and another line for those still wanting to
get tickets. The crowd could’ve been controlled.

But No, ABS-CBN wanted to showcase the popularity of WOWOWEE…never mind
the inconvenience of those poor people. On Friday night, they boasted about
the number of people outside Ultra via their news program, TV Patrol. They
hailed the popularity of the show Wowowee.

But the strategy backfired on Saturday morning. As a result, 75 people are
dead (according to the NDCC).

There is no one person to blame. Everyone has a share of the blame.

But ABS-CBN should take more of the load. We must not let them get away
with this, via their appeal to masses emotions: “All we wanted to do was
help…” While poverty is an underlying issue, the real cause of the
stampede is the NEGLIGENCE and POOR PLANNING of ABS-CBN’s production staff.

I do hope that ABS-CBN makes good with it’s promise to help the victims and
their families. And am not just talking about those 75 people that died and
400++ that got injured, but the tens and thousands who were inconvenienced
and traumatized.

I do hope that the government institute reforms to really uplift the lives
of 91% of the Filipinos.

That the media will stop exploiting the poor…

That those who are fortunate enough to have food on their plate would not
dismiss the poverty levels as mere statistic. That they saw the faces of
those who are so poor and desperate, who would fight for life for a chance
to win in a game show…

That those who are involved in marketing and promotions, those who stage
shows like these, take time to prepare a disaster plan…

That those who society considers as “poor” may also learn to rely on faith
and hard work, and not on dole-outs and luck…

And I do hope that something good comes out of this. May God have mercy on
this nation.

Teejae G. Sonza

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koj

February 8th, 2006 at 10:35 pm

menok,

going abroad is an option you chose. i don’t think poverty drove you out of the country, but the opportunity to make you and your family life better in the Phils if they still are there and not with you. you could have chosen to stay and make do with what earnings you have. life is full of choices, and some are better than others.

to be clear i don’t think those people deserved to die as what another poster has said. they were unfortunate victims though to a choice they made a day or a week earlier (where most of the people involved in the stampede must have come from for the reason that they are ahead in the pack).

equating graduates to work (in the phils) is a not a good idea for the simplest reason that no one dictates what course you’ll take. when there’s no shortage or need for the career you chose, then there’s the great possibility that you will be underemployed or unemployed. nurses, as an example would have greater chances abroad where there’s a huge need and not in the phils where few new hospitals were built. mind you, a lot of those who want to take nursing aimed to go abroad to start with, rather than to work in the phils. it’s a good idea therefore to plan ahead before college as to what course to take in relation to future potential job opportunities here and abroad. (my apologies for the deviation but a good topic in the future).

investigations came out already and though perceived as bias by some, abs-cbn somehow accept their accountability (but not the stong wordings). it could have been more (accountable) had the team investigating it comes from an independent body. Subaybayan natin! Let’s try connecting the dots again, some other time as it’s too far and miniscule this time. can you get it?

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henrietta

February 8th, 2006 at 10:58 pm

i just got this idea from men0k..

if ever liable nga ang ABS CBN sa nangyari, anong pinag-kaiba ni GMA sa Wowowee?

Although knowing the risks of working abroad (sexual abuse, slavery, death, etc etc), now why is GMA encouraging the Filipinos to be OFWs?

i mean, di ba, kung ang abs cbn sinisisi sa mga namatay sa stampede dahil ininvite nila ang mga tao na sumali sa game show nila, ba’t si GMA di sinisisi pag may mga Filipinos na namamatay aborad, eh sya rin nagyaya na pumunta doon?

if abs cbn did treated the people like hungy wolves waiting to be fed , then ano naman pwedeng itawag kay GMA? a killer whistling in a corner, saying, “opps, sorry” to the victims?

at sa mga nagsasabi na ‘for ratings sake’ and whatnot kaya nangyari yan, ganito lang ang paliwanag yan.

business is business. i guess alam nyo naman na kaliwa’t kanan yung pag-promote ng big event ng show. sabihin natin na ikaw ang abs cbn, at di mo pa alam na mangyayari yang stampede. of course, syempre ipro-promote mo yung show mo. syempre gusto mo ipakita na marami ang supporters ng show mo. kasi confident ka na nagawa mo na yung preparations para sa security (dahil may papeles ka nang sinubmit sa pasig city mayor at approved naman ito). kahit aling network, kahit sinong negosyante, syempre ikakalakal mo yung produkto mo. ganoon talaga.

kunwari pag nagtinda ka ng ice candy, tapos may tatlong taong bumili sayo ng sabay-sabay, bat di mo sasabihin na “tong ice candy ko marami ang bumibili”.

bottomline is that it’s not abs cbn’s fault to promote Wowowee. nobody knew that the tragedy would happen. don’t act like you’re a fortune teller, and that you know a stampede will happen at that time, place, and scenrio. it’s not about being greedy with the ratings that will be able to get, or the tons of advertisers that will offer them, it’s just simple business. they never wanted something like that to happen. nothing more, nothing less.

at saka.. bakit ba si boy abunda at si kris aquino napupunta sa usapan? kris is taklesang uber kikay, boy abunda is gay. tapos.

’nuff said.

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baycas

February 9th, 2006 at 1:11 am

now, the blame-throwing stage has officially started with the “corpus’ delicti” (fact-finding or fault-finding body) report turned over to the DOJ. this stage is marked by intense “blame-game” being heard on national radio as hosts, guests as well as caller-or-texter-pundits and eusebio-querol duo exchange tirades on who are blameworthy [with dick gordon neutral but expectedly on the side of safety and disaster preemption while teddyboy locsin siding with the duo and categorically stating “the government (Pasig government and the police) is not to be blamed here”].

the oft-repeated words (heard since they started the investigations) from the “handwashers” eusebio and querol (who btw are co-chairman and member of the fault-finding body, respectively) were:
coordination and contingency plans (which the organizers lacked), sole responsibility of organizers (and they must be held liable), and the apparent immediate response (by the duo).

adding to these was the insinuation that because there was no coordination directly from the organizers to take action on the peace and order situation, they were experiencing then the catch-22 phrase “damned if you do, damned if you don’t.” (i think this was more of an after-thought than what they really felt during the days or hours before the tragedy – as i believe they just did traffic control and became mere spectators to the gathering crowd.)

they averred that if they intervened preemptively utilizing reliable crowd management skills, they will likewise receive backlash from the event promoters and organizers (in case the disaster didn’t occur). a backlash saying that with the authorities’ interference the whole drama of such an event will be meaningless and could affect the business side of the project.

unfortunately, the local government and the police chose not to interfere with the organizers despite the situation being an “accident waiting to happen.”

i wonder if there really is a policy on crowd control and management – last thing i remember is the concept of the CPR on the “rallying” crowd – and probably a maximum tolerance on the “game-show” crowd?

i would also like to ask the “handwashers” if these words are significant to them: anticipation, authority, responsible public servants, duty to serve and protect…

—–

picking up the research from mlq3’s citation of john fruin’s “The Causes and Prevention of Crowd Disasters” ( http://www.quezon.ph/blog/?p=822 )…

wowowee can be likened to “The Who Concert Tragedy” in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA on december 3, 1979 ( http://www.crowdsafe.com/taskrpt/ ).

“Following the tragedy, the City of Cincinnati immediately established a citizen committee, The Task Force on Crowd Control and Safety, to research and recommend ways to make future concerts safe at Riverfront Coliseum and at other city venues.”

it took the committee six months to finish their report and this report “remains a landmark document in the field of crowd management. praised as being concise and balanced, the report’s recommendations won the respect of public safety professionals from around the world.”

i hope proper authorities will read the entire report here http://www.crowdsafe.com/taskrpt/toc.html .

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frrufinoquintosj

February 9th, 2006 at 1:57 am

It is rather unfortunate that some high government officials and top business executives are shedding crocodile tears for the poor who perished in the “Wowowee” game show stampede. Take away their tears and what have you?

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naykika

February 9th, 2006 at 3:47 am

Is is no surprise that tragedy of this magnitude happens once too often, because instead of people coming together and figuring out why did it happen everyone concern trying to wash its hand and coming out clean. Not even a week since and some officials have already come up with quisi report based on each interpretations and if you read them all you’ll come up with about half a dozen versions too. How could you come with a proper solutions if nobody can do a proper investigations? The T.V. Station already doing a good campaign of mitigating its responsibilities. The DILG talking too loud with its initial report. I would like to suggest that after everything settle down, there should only need one body fully empowered to conduct a thorough investigation and recommend legislative measures and guidlelines so we don’t have to witness this event again.

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Kd3r

February 9th, 2006 at 5:09 am

—-re: naykika’s post

Wishing that it would be that easy considering the fact that the philippine government is already a biased government. Of course, the government officials do not want to entangle themselves with the whole situation especially since a lot of people realize that the venue where the tragedy happened was in a public place, meaning it’s government owned. They just want to blame one body, not that I’m defending the TV network, ABSCBN, but what about the local police and the city government? They should be on top of the list. A TV network does not own the police, they can only offer their own group of security. Other than that, wouldn’t it be the responsibility of the local officials to oversee the entire situation???

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henrietta

February 9th, 2006 at 6:03 am

i think the congress is planning to make its own investigating body since they were able to sense (luckily they did) that the fact-finding committee members will have a biased output from their report.

well of course who would blame themselves in something so tragic? well the pasig city mayor and the ncrpo chief, who are members of the fact-finding committe and can be also laible for the tragedy, did a good job. a good job rescuing themseves from the blame.

i saw in a tv news program last night, gilbert remulya made some good comments. why is it that a case involving a network, which previously had problems with the palace, had a very swift investigation and result? but what about the cheating in the election, it is not yet resolved until now.

nice.

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naykika

February 9th, 2006 at 6:49 am

Kd3r said ” Wishing that it would be that easy considering the fact that the philippine government is already a biased government”.
Every government is biased in someway, but it can only go so far. There is where the the people should play a role. The best group to promote this intiative is the Private Orginazations dedicated to promoting good governance. They should insists on Totally Independent Judicial Inquiry and Monitor such inquiry for compliance. The Journalist organizations I believe should be the best group to do this, because they already have the tools for monitoring and decimating informations. The only way to beat a biased government is to have an upper hands. Yes, It could be done.

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naykika

February 9th, 2006 at 7:18 am

correction: I mean disseminating instead of decimating. sorry for the wrong word.

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tongue in, anew

February 9th, 2006 at 7:24 am

ABS-CBN knew what it was doing. That is, to gather the huge crowd at the gates and just before the show starts, to fly the network’s chopper to the site and capture on video the spectacle of the seeming endless sea of fanatics queueing outside the stadium to be aired on primetime news. Willie himself admitted that they monitored the lines every night.

That footage could have been a PR and marketing goldmine.

We’ve seen it many times not just on Wowowee, how they seem to take delight in seeing our poor countrymen lining up the whole block around the station, unwary of the inconveniences these people had to suffer – for the sake of PR.

A footage that would have demonstrated to the whole TV-crazy nation that Eat Bulaga, afterall, wasn’t really invincible.

A footage that costs 75 lives. And hurt hundreds of others who were collateral victims in this war of the networks.

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tongue in, anew

February 9th, 2006 at 7:41 am

Niszan said:

To all the morons who balmes (sic) GMA for the Ultra tragedy….wake up….there’s no one to blame but the organizer…period

The Daily Tribune :

“…Gloria can’t take the high moral ground because she herself has been known to “manipulate” and “exploit” — to use Corpus’ description — the poor, in a bid to woo support from the masses, by distributing health cards, food coupons, promises of homes, cheap rice and noodles. She even tries to buy the loyalty of her police and military by announcing pay increases, homes and equipment and billions in funds ordered released.

Like the overspill of the Wow-wow-wee crowd at the Ultra, the poor who were handed all these health cards and Gloria’s promises of a better life for them, were miniscule in number, compared to the number of poor in this country. While it is true that the networks, in getting top ratings, use these grand prizes to attract viewers and audience participation, it is equally true that Gloria also uses these handouts to the poor, even passing these off as if they were personally from her…

…At least in the case of the networks with game shows that announce and offer big prizes to their audiences, they do not lie, cheat or steal about such prizes, which are moreover delivered as promised.

Gloria promises a better life for the poor, but in doing so, she cheats, lies and steals and does not even deliver on her promises…”

Need I say more?

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lakan9876

February 9th, 2006 at 9:03 am

Sa opinyon ko eh, na-overlook ang external security measures – na provided daw ng abs-cbn. Posible rin na pinabayaan na kumapal ang tao then kukunan ng video para ipakita kung gaano kadami ang nakapila.

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concerned citizen

February 9th, 2006 at 9:51 am

Hello people!
Di ko matiis na di mag react dito sa ultra tragedy. Maraming dapat tingnan kung bakit nangyari ito. Nakakaawa ang mga namatay at nasugatan. Bato na lang ang hinde tablan sa nangyari at sisihen pa yung mga biktima. Anong klaseng mga nilalang itong mga tao na ito na kasalanan pa raw ng mga namatay? They deserved to die daw. Grabe. Maswerte sya ay medyo nakakaangat ang buhay nya. Ang aking palagay maraming dahilan at dapat gawin ang pamunuan ng abs-cbn. Sa kagustuhan na umangat ang rating at malampasan ang katapat na game show ay gumawa ng sobrang gimik na hinde naman pala kayang pangalagaan ang mga audience nila. Tingnan mo nga doon na raw umiihe at dumudumi. Mga galing pa ito sa probinsya at doon na lumagi, halos hinde na raw maitaas ang mga kamay at parang sardinas na halos kapos na sa paghinga? Can you imagine their situation? Sobrang nationwide publicity ng wowowee kaya na ingganyo mga tao. Naakit ang mga mahihirap. Nagbahay bahay pa nga daw ito. Sabagay karapatan ng abs-cbn yun. Kaya lang huwag silang gagawa ng mga paraan ng panloloko. Hinde ko sinasabi na nanloloko sila. Mahirap magbintang. Dapat may ebidensya. Pero ang ultimate motibe nila ay tumaas nag rating at maging WOWOWEE1 na tayo.
May pagkukulang din pulis dito. Bakit di nila pinatupad cpr? Para lang ba yun sa mga nagrarally against arroyo? 30thousand people di talaga kaya ng abs-cbn na macontrol yung crowd. Trabaho na ng local govt. at pulis ito. Kaso ang nagimbestiga ay dilg. Syempre kampi nila pagtatakpan kaya ang lumabas na resulta sa fact finding committee ay walang pulis na nakasama sa kakasuhan. Di ba may conflict of interest?
Dapat din tingnan ang kalagayan ng ultra. May mga dapat palitan at baguhin. gaya ng entrance na iisa lamang at yung matarik na daan sa exit.
May pagkukulnag din ang security ng ultra at abs-cbn. Walang coordination.

Kawawa ang Pilipinas. Kawawa tayo. Dahil sa kahirapan maraming namamatay. Lahat ng naapektuhan ay mahihirap. Nagbabakasakali na baka manalo ng kahit konting premyo maibsan lang ang paghihirap at gutom. Sino ba ang dapat sisihen sa kahirapan at gutom na nararanasan ng ating mga kababayan? May pagasa pa ba tayo? Wala na bang magsasalita? “IS THERE NO ONE ELSE?” Wake up people! May magagawa pa tayo. Don’t be too apathetic. Alam natin ang problema dito sa ating bayan. GOD BLESS THE PHILPPINES!!!

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Montemar

February 9th, 2006 at 12:58 pm

Marami nang nasabi tungkol sa isyung ito pero gusto ko pa ring manggulo… baka makatulong ng kaunti sa pagsusuri. Ang kagyat na pinagkaguluhan, ang “tiket” di ba, o ang paraan ng pagpili ng papapasukin sa pinto ng langit? Sino ang may kontrol doon? Ang mahalaga sa akin, sisihin o punahin na ang lahat wag lang ang mga mga taong nagtulakan!

1. Nagkatulakan/stampede kasi masikip ang daanan at labis ang tao. (May pa-proximate-proximate cause pa ang mga legal theoreticians diyan!)

2. Lumabis at nagsiksikan ang mga tao dahil sa ginusto ng KUNG SINUMANG HERODES SA WOWOWEE organizers na gayun ang paraan ng pagpapamudmod ng tiket at pagpili ng mga kasali sa gameshow nila.

3. Alam ng mga taga-Wowowee/ABS-CBN na maaaring magka-stampede (may sulat na binasa ang isang ABS-CBN representative sa isang presscon na humihingi sila ng tulong sa pulis o local government; at doon, ginamit nila mismo ang katagang “stampede”!).

4. Kung malinaw pa sa tubig-batis na alam ng mga organizers na yan na maaaring magka-stampede– at nakita na naman nila na santambak na nga ang mga nakapila bago pa man ang show date– bakit ganuon pa rin ang sistemang dinisenyo at pinatupad nila sa pagpapamudmod ng tiket at/o pagpili ng mga kasali at manunood sa palabas nila?

5. Kung gayon, HINDI LANG NEGLIGENCE (PAGPAPABAYA) ANG USAPIN DITO! The Wowowee organizers were not merely negligent insofar as they knew fully well what could happen, but still they went on with their callously manipulative design of choosing their contestants and audience. HINDI SILA SIMPLENG NAGPABAYA… Sinugal nila ang buhay ng mga tao upang maging mas “festive” ang show nila — upang lalong mapalabas sa media na pinagkakaguluhan talaga ang show na ‘yan!

6. On the other hand, the local government also knew that people could get hurt if such a design would be used. They acknowledged and accepted Wowowee/ABS-CBN’s letter with the ominous concept “STAMPEDE” ‘stamped’ on it, as it were! Certain government officials should also be held accountable therefore. Government should be regulating such massive mobilization of people when concern for public safety suggests such intervention.

7. Kongklusyon: Ang lokal na pamahalaan ay naging pabaya (negligent), sa minimum. Ang ABS-CBN naman, walang pag-aalinlangang pinili ang isang pamamaraan ng pagpapakilos sa mga tao na maaaring ikamatay nila. Ano ang tawag duon? Pwede bang “MANSLAUGHTER,” mga pinagpipitaganang manananggol namin (paging Ms. Atty. Marichu Lambino)?

Si Willy Wonka, pinagkaguluhan rin ang pagpasok sa pagawaan ng tsokolate niya. Para hindi magkatulakan sa mismong araw ng patimpalak, tinago niya sa loob ng mga tsokolate niya ang mga ginintuang tiket. Walang namatay sa harap ng Chocolate Factory, dahil hindi naman pagpapasikat ang habol ni Willy Wonka. Si Willy Revillame, ewan ko kung ano ang habol niya. Pero ang tiyak ko, maaari niyang baguhin ang patakaran sa pagpili ng mga sasali sa Wowowee kung ginusto niya. Willy R., kawawa ka naman, pakinggan mo kasi si WIlly Wonka: honesty is the best policy. Have you not tried to exchange all the chocolates in the world for the lives of your supposed Kapamilya?

P.S.

Iyong ilan ditong nagkomento na, may pa-“fastbucks-fastbucks” pang nalalaman. Punahin pa ba naman ang mga taong nabiktima. Namatay sila dahil tamad sila???!! Masahol pa kayo sa mga Kastilang sumakop sa Pilipinas ah! Maliban pa sa Willy Wonka, basahin niyo kaya ang Indolence of the Filino People ni Jose Rizal.

Kung tamad ang mahihirap, malamang wala kayong kinakaing bigas ngayon dahil sa kalakhan sa bigas na ‘yan ay likha pa rin ng mga naghihikahos nating magsasaka sa mga probinsiya. Ang mga bahay at building na pinamumugaran natin, likha naman ng mga karpintero at alwageng walang sariling bahay! Mga mokong kayo — sing-walang puso o singkitid ng isip ninyo ang mga direktang nasa likod ng trahedyang ito.

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men0k

February 9th, 2006 at 12:58 pm

after everything has been said and done regarding the tragedy and people are still arguing who is to be blamed about it, my heart goes to the family of those who died and those who got injured… i don’t want to blame the network because the network just saw the “oppotunity” they had in the poor people and hid that ‘whatever’ intention they have into “helping the poor” thrust… can’t blame the network, that’s business… though abs might not accept it, that tragedy will affect them negatively, no matter what they will do to counter it, it will affect them.. of course they didn’t want that tragedy to happen but as i said they saw the opportunity, and it knocks not quite much, so they grabbed it… unfortunately, it backfired..

but at the end of the day, everything will all boil down to basic that there’s too much poor people in our country.. had there been lesser poor people, there will be no ‘opportunity’, no wowowee, no tragedy… that’s why i think the rival program still is going strong after more than two decades in airing because in it, they also provide prizes and cash BUT, they don’t deviate from their original purpose, to provide entertainment… i think wowowee failed in that aspect, miserably.. they forgot that they are there to provide entertainment primarily and giving out prizes just comes after that…

regarding on my CHOICE of being an OFW, am speaking for myself and not for all OFWs, but you know what guys… had there been an option for me to provide the same kind of life i am providing now to my family if i stayed in the Phils, BY ALL MEANS I AM THERE NOW… but there’s no option… even having a good experience and educational background doesn’t guarantee you of a good-paying job there… then the salary you are getting will be cut-off with tax that goes to the pockets of the congressmen who doesn’t even know the meaning of public trust, legitimacy, honesty, etc… if you took that option, it’s your choice.. but for me, there could only be a choice if there are EQUAL AND VALID OPTIONS… don’t mean to derail the topic here.. it all started when someone said that it’s the people’s choice to go to ultra. it’s not their choice, it’s WHAT THEY HAD TO DO TO SURVIVE FURTHER…

i like this thread guys… our discussion is very healthy here :-)

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jr_lad

February 9th, 2006 at 1:05 pm

Henrietta said,

“bottomline is that it’s not abs cbn’s fault to promote Wowowee. nobody knew that the tragedy would happen. don’t act like you’re a fortune teller, and that you know a stampede will happen at that time, place, and scenrio. it’s not about being greedy with the ratings that will be able to get, or the tons of advertisers that will offer them, it’s just simple business. they never wanted something like that to happen. nothing more, nothing less.”

ang galing mo rin naman sa pag-absuelto sa abs-cbn (another abs apologist? hindi pa ata sapat yung araw-araw na palabas ng abc-cbn ng mga interviews sa mga biktima, “walang kasalanan ang abs-cbn at si willie!”). infact, mas magaling ka pa kesa sa fact finding team.

Parang inihalintulad mo ang nangyaring trahedya sa mga TSUNAMI, LINDOL OR BAGYO.

parang sinabi mo na rin na dinaanan ng mga eto yung mga taong namatay. unpredictable events kaya walang dapat sisihin. hindi mo ata naisip na man-made tragedy yung nangyari. dahil sa kapabayaan ng tao rin. sa madaling sabi, puedeng naprevent kung lahat ng parties from the organizers, LGU & Police did their part. no need to elaborate further just think of what you’ve said.

sa mga nagsasabi namang, mga pinoy kasi hindi marunong pumila, walang disiplina pag nasa bansa pero pag nasa labas ng bansa ay masunurin naman sa batas. true, i agree. but this case is different. subukan nyo kayang tumayo sa pila ng 3 days. tingnan natin kung magiging wasto pa rin ang pag-iisip nyo. subukan nyo lang ilagay ang mga paa nyo sa sapatos ng mga taong nandoon nakapila ng araw na yun (nasubukan nyo naman atang bumabad sa lamayan). sabi pa nga ni willie hindi raw umaalis sa puwesto ang mga tao sa pila dahil pag umalis masisingitan sila. so ibig sabihin doon na kumakain, umiihi at dumudumi(?) sa puwesto nila. ni hindi nga man lang naglagay ng mga portable na mga panulukan etong mga organizers. makatao ba yun? yan ba ang sinasabi nilang ang concern nila ay ang mga tao? compare it to an El Shaddai organized prayer rally with the same magnitude of people. kompleto yun sa lahat ng pangangailanagn ng mga tao. but in this case, 6 months preparations? really, for the organizer, the people were just a pack of hungry wolves. ginutom para sa main event habang ang sky-patrol nila ay aali-aligid sa himpapawid at nagrereport ng dami ng tao. well, Henrietta said, it’s not about being greedy, it’s just simple business. so they are faultless. try to convince me again.

and oh yes, i do blame glue-ria the fake and her govt. for all that is happening in the country. for the CHEATING, LYING, STEALING and COVER-UP. for desperately holding on to her seat. for the HOPELESSNESS of the people. and for the death of those OFW victims. because as what you’ve said, “siya ang nagyaya sa kanila pumunta doon”.

’nuff said.

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driven

February 9th, 2006 at 1:19 pm

sana mabasa ng lahat ito. magandang punto ito…

from henrietta…

Although knowing the risks of working abroad (sexual abuse, slavery, death, etc etc), now why is GMA encouraging the Filipinos to be OFWs?

i mean, di ba, kung ang abs cbn sinisisi sa mga namatay sa stampede dahil ininvite nila ang mga tao na sumali sa game show nila, ba’t si GMA di sinisisi pag may mga Filipinos na namamatay aborad, eh sya rin nagyaya na pumunta doon?

if abs cbn did treated the people like hungy wolves waiting to be fed , then ano naman pwedeng itawag kay GMA? a killer whistling in a corner, saying, “opps, sorry” to the victims?

at sa mga nagsasabi na ‘for ratings sake’ and whatnot kaya nangyari yan, ganito lang ang paliwanag yan.

business is business. i guess alam nyo naman na kaliwa’t kanan yung pag-promote ng big event ng show. sabihin natin na ikaw ang abs cbn, at di mo pa alam na mangyayari yang stampede. of course, syempre ipro-promote mo yung show mo. syempre gusto mo ipakita na marami ang supporters ng show mo. kasi confident ka na nagawa mo na yung preparations para sa security (dahil may papeles ka nang sinubmit sa pasig city mayor at approved naman ito). kahit aling network, kahit sinong negosyante, syempre ikakalakal mo yung produkto mo. ganoon talaga.

kunwari pag nagtinda ka ng ice candy, tapos may tatlong taong bumili sayo ng sabay-sabay, bat di mo sasabihin na “tong ice candy ko marami ang bumibili”.

bottomline is that it’s not abs cbn’s fault to promote Wowowee. nobody knew that the tragedy would happen. don’t act like you’re a fortune teller, and that you know a stampede will happen at that time, place, and scenrio. it’s not about being greedy with the ratings that will be able to get, or the tons of advertisers that will offer them, it’s just simple business. they never wanted something like that to happen. nothing more, nothing less.

from tongue in, anew…

Like the overspill of the Wow-wow-wee crowd at the Ultra, the poor who were handed all these health cards and Gloria’s promises of a better life for them, were miniscule in number, compared to the number of poor in this country. While it is true that the networks, in getting top ratings, use these grand prizes to attract viewers and audience participation, it is equally true that Gloria also uses these handouts to the poor, even passing these off as if they were personally from her…

…At least in the case of the networks with game shows that announce and offer big prizes to their audiences, they do not lie, cheat or steal about such prizes, which are moreover delivered as promised.

Gloria promises a better life for the poor, but in doing so, she cheats, lies and steals and does not even deliver on her promises…”

>>>
isa lamang itong repleksyon na mas malalaking issue na dapat sana’y noon pa naresolba. pero wala namang nangyari. hindi na bago sa atin ang mga ganitong issue. napakadami nang mga kaso na umabot na sa senado at supreme court ang nawalan na nangsaysay. hindi na nga ata talaga tayo matututo. sana lang ay huwag din itong gamitin ng mga pulitiko para magpabango ng kanilang mga pangalan. kung gayon, e di wala din silang pinagkaiba sa Wowowee at sa mga shows na katulad nito…

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baycas

February 9th, 2006 at 1:40 pm

no doubt about it that the event promoters and organizers had a big slice of the cake – it is a given. but to hear of the arrogance of those people still wiping the icing off their lips and garbling out (because of unchewed cake inside their mouth) absurdities that they are not party to the blame is really unheard of when it comes to responsible governance and servant leadership.

that’s what you get from a leader (the highest official in the land) who’s no longer transparent (with the eo464 etc.), not anymore accountable to the people (already unimpeachable due to the “tipping” factors left and right), and already a lame duck president (hostaged by institutions she brazenly corrupted). down the line…the bad influence (BI) passed on, to the LGU, to the subordinates, to the barangay level, and to the constituents…to each one of us.

leadership by example is what we’re after and that’s what we’re getting…

and we’re speaking of not blaming the government for this tragedy? hello…i’m also a taxpayer and the people deserve their money’s worth…

it’s not just our stupid economy to be blamed, it’s also our st___d leaders!

—–

as regards the evil in TV, show-hosts speaking of Philippine TV programs had the gall to make fun of the tragedy:

“ano ba ang gusto mo? ‘walang tulugan’ (referring to a dawn TV show) o ‘walang gising?’”

…brings more tears…

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men0k

February 9th, 2006 at 2:01 pm

baycas,

very well put man…

that’s the domino effect of a cheating-president-who-gets-away-with-it ‘leading’ the nation..

people, specially influential people, can do whatever they want and can-get-away-with-it-also.. “eh kung ung presidente nga walang kunsensya eh.. tayo pa kaya?…” attitude is the result of those people suggesting for LET US GLORIA FINISH HER TERM AND LET’S GO ON WITH OUR LIVES…..

i see MIDGET now and saying “hehehe… ” with the ‘ngiting-aso’ fully projected… a case of ‘tail wagging the dog’ indeed…

yeah, i think we have to “bring in more tears”…

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koj

February 9th, 2006 at 2:04 pm

sensya na menok, just beg to disagree to few thing you’ve said.

there are valid options but there’s no such thing as equal options, each option has its own pros and cons and therefore can never be equal. your logical choice therefore is the one that would give you more pros than cons. you made a choice. you chose to sacrifice by going abroad for better family provisions, that’s a con and pro.

i don’t think that survival is at stake when people went there, otherwise there would be more dead people (God forbids) after the show than what several stampedes can claim. this is because there would be few winners against multitude of non-winners. this is a game show, remember.

for me the accountables are, the organizers, the local govt, the police and the crowd who tried to push their way in. i hope justice for the victims will find its way!

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men0k

February 9th, 2006 at 2:26 pm

though i don’t agree with your comment koj, rest assured that it’s well taken… just don’t want to drag this topic into something else…

i guess pcij might want to make another topic just for the OFWs plight abroad (if there’s none yet or me not being able to see it yet) and there we could discuss this more objectively and constructively…..

peace man… :-)

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baycas

February 9th, 2006 at 2:52 pm

The Report of the Task Force on Crowd Control and Safety submitted to the Cincinnati government (cited above) is a thorough, 6-month-long research upon which recommendations were drawn. What is noteworthy is that the task force ( http://www.crowdsafe.com/taskrpt/whocrowdmanagementstaffandcontentspages.pdf ) is a citizen committee – an OBJECTIVE fact-finding body.

The “delicti” (or the crime) in Corpus’ statements to media is his SUBJECTIVITY to the matter he investigated – in truth, the “wolves” thing is not stated in the body of the report by the fact-finding body Corpus chaired.

Neither composition of the fact-finding body (government people against a citizen committee) gloria named nor the swiftness by which facts were gathered and recommendations drawn (72 hours against 6 months) helped in giving credibility to the Corpus’ team (please read Inq7 stories on this).

Perhaps, true political will on the part of gloria to ferret out the truth and once-and-for-all put a stop or prevent impending disasters is not what she had in mind. A knee-jerk reaction is most likely the case to project a seemingly prudent response to the heartbreaking incident. Trust in her is sorely missed (and certainly without regret!) considering her preoccupation to self-perpetuation.

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neil1969

February 9th, 2006 at 2:56 pm

I wanted to post my comment in ABS-CBN website. They did not post it because they are not fair and balance. They only post comments that puts them in a good light. Almost putting them in a pedestal.

Here is my comment:

I know that you will not post my message since I am going to criticize your company. It will just be in your conscience to be fair. I think ABS-CBN is largely to be blame for this stampede. There was no proper organization and preparations for the event to ensure the safety of the people. They were not concerned for the safety of the people but only the fame and ratings of the show. I think ABS-CBN is legally liable for the injury and deaths of the people during the stampede. ABS-CBN should be sued for millions, if not billions of pesos to compensate the victims of this terrible stampede. I would encourage lawyers I know to see the possibilities of this legitimate lawsuit.

One thing I know that ABS-CBN and its partners in the media are doing the cover up. They are trying to put the blame on others like the government and even solely to the President Gloria Arroyo. They are still doing the same thing that they are use to have been doing for years, the good old Media Bias. They know that they can get away with anything even this awful tragedy having 80 people dead. No conscience at all. If ABS-CBN is really sincere in helping the families of victims. They will make sure to pay each victim at least five to ten million pesos. I am sure they have money to pay the victims from the profits of advertisements and their subscribers outside the Philippines. In fact, I used to pay $20 a month to watch their shows. Not anymore. I am no longer willing to subscribe and give this company anymore money to support the manipulation, blatant disregard and disrespect of the poor Filipinos. In the best of my abilities, I will make sure to encourage others and to follow my lead to cancel their subscriptions with ABS-CBN.

I know that ABS-CBN will just try to put the blame on the people and the victims. They will just say that the people were unruly and that they were not disciplined enough to follow the rules. They were just poor Filipinos and doesn’t know any better. Typical elitist thinking. Silly as this may seem, they know that others will believe this scenario and that eventually people will forget this awful tragedy. Blame it again on the people especially the poor and the Government but never the MEDIA specifically ABS-CBN. Im sorry I know better. I will never again be a victim of the MEDIA BIAS and their elitist agenda.

I know that even in your own website, ABS-CBN.com you do not post any news that is related to the awful stampede that would anyway reflect a bad light to ABS-CBN. In fact one of your headline Celebrity news is “MTRCB hits Joey de Leon for stampede remarks”. This a typical Media bias. This is trying to deflect the attention of the tragedy to someone else and not to ABS-CBN. You are trying to manipulate the importance and facts of the stampede and avoid the Truth of what really happened. Instead ABS-CBN wants to talk about the not so important news like Joey de Leon’s remarks. Who the hell cares of what Joey de Leon’s said! I just want the truth of this awful stampede that cause 80 lives of Filipinos whether they are rich or poor. To me there is no difference. To me this could be your parents, your children, your friends and your families. I want somebody to be responsible, someone has to pay for this. If ABS-CBN has conscience they should pay the victims families millions, if not billions of pesos.

NEIL,
PROUD FILIPINO

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tessie

February 9th, 2006 at 7:18 pm

I must admit that I loved watching Wowowee. I enjoyed watching the show because what I saw before the tragedy was people coming together as one and everybody was getting along; a very happy environment. I believe that most of the people that went just wanted to have fun. The reason why people rushed in to get in the stadium is to make it up front to be able to get in to the action of the game. People lacks discipline to form in line. People behind pushes the people up front. It just got worse when they start giving out passes. In my opinion, before they give out passes or tickets, they should have organized the crowd first. Because it’s such a huge crowd, the city officials should have controlled the crowd and assured protection of the people. The city receives the revenues so I think that they should have protected the people. I and my husband is coming to the Philippines this coming March and we were going to visit the show. I’m sure that the show will still be mourning for what happened. I’m not sure of going for it now because I feel really sad that this has happened to the devoted fans and to the show that many loved to watch and joined.

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Airness

February 9th, 2006 at 9:56 pm

Medyo off topic lang. Nainis lang ako sa sinabi ni Usec. Corpuz na parang trinatong hayop ng ABS-CBN ang mga tao don sa Ultra. Naisip ko kung paano ba trinatrato ng gobyerno ang ibang tao ngayon. Ganon din naman hindi naman magkalayo, minsan mas malala pa nga. Buti pa nga yung ABS-CBN kahit papaano may binibigay sa mga mahihirap, samantalang ang gobyerno kinukuha pa ang kakarampot na meron ang mga mahihirap.

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jr_lad

February 9th, 2006 at 10:33 pm

neil,

abs-cbn is already giving financial aids to the victims ranging from p5,000 to p50,000. in return, the victims have to sign a waiver stating that they will not file a suit against abs-cbn. read the link below.

http://news.inq7.net/breaking/index.php?index=2&story_id=65617

wise move. yan ang kapamilya. :)

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pinoybug

February 10th, 2006 at 2:51 am

I am an ordinary citizen and here is my take on this :

1. No doubt ABS-CBN is to be blamed, but how about the Mayor who approved the permit without asking to see the contingency plan ? He just settled for the organizers word that “we have one”. If we are to punish those who are responsible, let’s take the initiative to do our paperwork and get the rest.

2. GMA has nothing to do directly, but indirectly, she has pushed more people to extreme poverty and now even death. Every peso she steals is killing Filipinos slowly. How can poor people not loose hope ? When the “povery alleviation program” of the government was being used for povery alleviation of a few select trapos ? By the way how heartless can a leader be when even in times like these she takes advantage by having photo ops ? No matter how many pictures at how many events, nothing will make GMA’s stinking image look right.

3. ABS-CBN is such a greedy piece of SH*T. Imagine having these poor, uneducated, confused and greaving victims sign waivers in exchange for cash ? How greedy and heartless can you get ? They seem genuinely concerned on covering their A*S. They have even mentioned that irresponsible remarks are hurting their stocks ? Their businesses have been losing money one after the other precisely because of their culture of greed. As a viewer, I have stopped watching any ABS-CBN show because they simply suck. They have lost the ratings race not only because the other network improved, but because they keep shooting theirselves on the foot.

4. Oh, by the way… that tape that ABS-CBN has on the actual stampede as it started.. I wonder where that is right now.

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floyd

February 10th, 2006 at 4:08 am

intolerable
“Anonymous said…

you’re a monster
(by the way, correct your english before you try to sound academic)”

this was written in my comments box after the essay “the people in wowowee tragedy deserves to die…”

i wasnt surprised with the reaction. rather i was expecting it. at fist glance anybody could say how heartless i really am in choosing my words.

it was as if from the words of my friend “they earned their deaths”.

but if you read thoroughly you would see what im really getting at.

the point here ladies and gentlemen is not to blame.

ex:

1. stampede! = blame Willie

2. stampede! = blame ABS CBN

3. stampede! = blame Pasig

and so on and so forth.

people lets wake up.
lets face reality first before we blame.
instead of blaming let us ask ourselves;

“what is reality in the eyes of the people who died?”

without further ado i recognize three realities for them. (and ill try my best to be objective)

1. reality for them is poverty.

2. reality for them is wowowee.

3. reality for them is willie.

now think about this the reasons for such realities realized by these people are simple.

1. they were conditioned (see the term from a psychology book please) to think and feel as such by the government.

2. they were acculturated (see encyclopedia) by their society.

3. they were educated (see DECS literacy statistics) by their environment.

so now we deduce the three specified reasons.

what does the government make them think and feel?

-being in a state of utmost corruption. the government NEVER relinquished any effort to ameliorate their lifestyle in so as much as the government even DENIES them the propensity to earn and have a stable economy by prioritizing foreign industries. (see globalization) thus in such a state of utter helplessness and dependence from foreign investors results to a position of their economy to almost inhumane conditions. acknowledging such they resort to crime, drug use and smuggling in order for them to survive. all of which are against the law, which they themselves dont understand ergo an un-empowered citizenry.

what does society acculturate them with?

-media is equated with society. what the people see on TV is how they see themselves therefore it follows that media played an important role in shaping the peoples minds. but of course media already understood the condition of the people but they needed the market to earn profits because media initially exists as a business enterprise where advertisers could peddle their wares without ever walking to the door of a buyer. as such the media became a tool for acculturation towards a “consumer driven” society and never as a means to better the lives of the people. in effect it became a mental cap to all possible venue for psychological emancipation characteristic of critical thinking and social responsibility.

what does the environment educate them with?

-this is the saddest part so far. education has never been the strongest point of our nation. in fact year after year the number of children dropping out of school or either havent gone to one have risen to “epidemic” proportions. so let us ask what does our people really learn from school? but granting that they havent even stepped on one what does society offer them for education? what do they learn from it? though it could be surmised that the answer for the specific inquiry may range differently as contrasted to the inter-island structure of our country, nonetheless it is safe to assume that we as a people learn accordingly to how much we eat each day. there is no safe distance between the brain and the stomach. it is also true to that of the heart. for whoever feeds you, there is where your heart is. therefore in the final analysis their environment educates them with hunger and the insecurity thats tied with it.
people say that they never want to die in fact they only went there to fulfill their happiness.

they say that the truth is they didnt know that they are going to die. if they had known then they wouldnt have gone to the show. if they had known then they wouldnt have gone waiting for days.

but did they have a choice? given the three realities stated above?

by stating that it was an accident then we insult them more by saying so because they’ve been lining up for days.

by stating that they didnt know would further show them disrespect.

the truth is they knew. but they cannot let go of the opportunity to win that one million pesos.

they didnt care if they push or if they stayed there or pee in their pants so that nobody would take their place.

the truth is they knew that if they push somebody someone would get hurt.

they knew that if they stayed in front they would get crushed from the back.

they knew that they werent treated right by the organizers.

they knew that they werent given a proper venue or a better state of security.

they knew that they have to be there for the chance to win. and thats all that matters to them.

that is how we are as a people. we knew how decrepit our situation is, still we dont do anything to better our condition because of our selfish interests.

we knew that we were in front and were already facing the lions mouth still we move on.

that is how we live. that is how we make a living.

and the saddest thing about this is no matter how many more people die, we will never realize this because we are always fast to blame anyone. its like killing a single cockroach yet letting live the nest underneath your bed.

therefore the people in the wowowee tragedy deserves to die, only if we will be able to realize our own deficiencies.

or else they dont but remain a nameless headcount for the embalmer.
then their deaths would be meaningless.

a talk with my friend clarified these more.

i asked her why do you think Rizal died for the country while in fact he couldve escaped narrowly from the beggining? or why do you think he didnt let the lamp explode in his novel el fili if he knew that the heads of the state would continue to rule badly?

it is because for one rizal deserves to die if only to make his people realize their own sickness that even no matter how perfect they think he is his people (intelligensia) are the sole source of their disease.

it is because for one the explosion of the lamp would all be in vain because the people still depends on the heads of the state and would even take their place if the opportunity comes.

all in all it is because we have yet to die and accept our own sickness and strive to better our nation.

but rizal never deserved to die for himself as the same for the victims of the tragedy.

yet it had to happen so as to realize that WE DESERVE THEIR DEATHS.

so for now lets offer a silent prayer, and hope that this experience never repeats itself.

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lakan9876

February 10th, 2006 at 8:07 am

koj said,
February 6, 2006 @ 12:32 am

men0k said,
February 5, 2006 @ 12:40 pm

First, i think PCIJ put the words in this topic excellently and can’t be any better.. Nice work guys, for this.

“i admire your determination though, to get rid of gma, whatever way. however no matter what people like you guys do, gma will not resign, makapal nga mukha e! people will not rally with you either to oust her or the military to side with you. better concentrate on the next election, with all the negatives this admin is getting, the current opps might get the majority in both houses of congress and then you can impeach her. Good luck! ”
——————————————–
Di rin ako maka-GMA pero AGREE AKO DIYAN. Wala pa kayong “acceptable alternative” na pamalit kay Midget.!!
Kung di lang masyado ng matanda si Ka Jovi Salonga eh siya na lang
sana…

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pilosopotasyo

February 10th, 2006 at 8:33 am

Bloody hell!! napaka ironic ng nangyari. Damage was done and it is very unfortunate for those people who lost their love ones. But why the hell some of the people still wants the show to go on? tao ba kayo!!! Hindi ganyan ang itinuro ng pilipino teacher ko nung bata pa ako, nasaan na ang dignidag.It is only right for these people involved in the tragedy to have proper compensation from ABSCBN. Now THIS WILL TEST THIS NO GOOD PROGRAM (WOWOWEE) HOW GOOD IT IS IN PROVIDING HELP TO THOSE IN NEED, OR THOSE SHOWMANSHIP HELP KUNO IN THE PAST WAS JUST FOR PUBLICITY AND POPULARITY. WOWOWEE PROGRAM HAVE SHOWN NOT HOPE BUT FANTASY TO THE PILIPINO PEOPLE, MAYBE IT IS HOPING THAT WHAT HAD HAPPENED IS STILL NOT PART OF THE REALITY. How sad

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tessie

February 10th, 2006 at 1:11 pm

My prediction is that the show will be terminated because the atmosphere will never be the same as it was. My concern is Bentong may be out of work again. I hope he saved his earned money this time to start his own business.

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vsantiago

February 10th, 2006 at 1:52 pm

It is tragic when everybody like Willie was well like by the poor and people here in the U.S with his comedy antics and using
ordinary people as heroes and main character of the show, which
I was happy watching and these event happen I know in their hearts that they to help the needy without a question but lining
up, sleeping , eating and dumping in the street is deplorable its a
condition i could not take if we would help help all the way and
not bits of pieces , I we will give, give wholly and not partly,
The tragic event can not be blame inone person, two, or three,
one company, two or three agencies if blame is the question
we should blame all of us, and ABS CBN was the Good Samaritan
that I saw in the bible, a 70 people or more had died, several
hundreds were injured, we should extend help prayers to them
there are are no times to blame the harm has done, and if we want
to help the poor let us continue to help and I know God with us if we continue to love the less fortunate people, I see GMA in the newspaper, but not in the major newspaper visiting the victims which is nice to see, I know God did not do this it is the devil and lets drive out the devil in our live and seek first the Kingdom of God and his rigtheousness and all these things shall be added unto you, and finally ” The love of money is the root of evil”
We can not sere God and money at the same time, we will love the first and hate the latter” We can not serve teo masters”
I hope we will continue to love the poor and because our God is
always in their hearts just like the LOpezes, the Arroyos, Aquinos, and Revillame

TY

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Cat2nG

February 10th, 2006 at 5:45 pm

BAKIT nga ba KULANG sa SECURITY?????? ‘Lam ko na kasi on their little mind(ABS-CBN, PASIG MAYOR), they thought and assessed there will be that much IMPORTANT PEOPLE to be there OUTSIDE ULTRA di ba!? Kc, here we go again, “POOR PEOPLE” only will be there to find there LUCK out of that :UNLUCKY HOST”(ilang show ba ang nagtagal kay WR) show! But when you invited “ARROYO’s 1st,2nd family” do you think there will “NEGLIENCE IN SECURITY”? that’s the FACT that only IN high level persons can HAVE that fucking SECURITY! kahit nga walang permit eh di ba! Nakakainis lang the mere fact na ” NAKALUBOG KA NA ” , ” IDIDIIN KA PA ” ! Di namin kailangan ng LEADER na puro camera ang nasa harap habang tumutulong – LUMULUHA NA ANG TAO SA PAGHINGI NG TULONG SAYO PERO KAILANGAN TODO PUSTURA SA HARAP NG CAMERA …………!

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reyrefran

February 10th, 2006 at 5:57 pm

At least Ms. Coronel hit the nail right into its head — that POVERTY above all is the root cause of its incident, and the government’s inability to address the basic needs of the people drove the majority of the population to flock these game shows, lalo na ang Wowowee.

Tulad na lang nag uulit-ulitin ko…ganito na ba ka-pobre ang Pinoy?

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freewheel

February 10th, 2006 at 10:36 pm

my sympathies to those who died and were injured.

my scorn directed to those who corrupted the poor, induced them to queue as this would translate to money once inside, without any concrete concern (mere lip service) for their safety and convenience.

my humble call to indio lawless, to again review his position re: class suit, if it cannot possibly prosper locally, can one not bring it abroad where legal jurisprudence provide… as in the case of Marcos in Hawaii? ABS-CBN has a 100% owned u.s. based unit in the case of abs-cbn international…

my call to all smart guys of tv networks to stop corrupting the poor. poverty is a given, but blatant and incessant use of poor folks in order to win the ratings game is corruption of the highest order. help them restore instead their dignity.

my wish that everytime a crusading journalist is harassed, maimed or …, an activist arrested, maimed or …, the same loud protests, denunciations it will merit from all the bloggers and more.

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pulsopinoy

February 11th, 2006 at 10:26 am

wrong defense
i studied ABS-CBN’s defense moves (every detail). Again, they are not studying their moves – wrong defense.

the pr girl, seems not to do her homework, wrong pr. she reacted in the name of her boss. the good pr on that tragic day – must simply be on the side of the victims. not with a thousand sorries, apologies, or tv images of the victims with the bosses, and talents of the network – and worst: unwarranted justifications of Gabby Lopez (even after the committee report).

bullying is not the name of the game. plain and simple – just help the victims. not act, as if you are the boss of the whole Philippines. now it appears, the Lopez empire needs humility.

tragedy should not be used as another “business opportunity.” the worst of its kind, the network simply recycled the “stampede tragedy” for their own business. bantay bata, abs-cbn foundation, etc. (and other shadowy foundations of the empire) must stay away from the responsibility – let the TV network make the sacrifice. let us allow the government to investigate this!

again, wrong defense!

http://pulsopinoy.blogspot.com/

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joad

February 11th, 2006 at 12:21 pm

We all seem to agree that poverty is at the root of tragedies such as these. After reading all the previous posts, however, it looks like the fingers have been pointed every which way: ABS-CBN, Wowowee’s staff, the president, the national government, the local officials, media, ourselves, etc… But why can’t we — why shouldn’t we — also point a finger at our electoral institutions? Our electoral rules impact the translation of our votes into Congressional seats. Our electoral rules influence the incentive structures of all our politicians. Our electoral rules influence the way we cast our votes in the first place.

The poor remain poor, and the government can’t (or won’t) seem to do much to help their plight. Well, if the poor had great influence over government policy in the first place, would they remain poor? Obviously not, right? But, just how many of the poor and impoverished are consistently represented in government in the first place?

Very few? Little? None?

I’m not saying our legislators do not care about the poor. But let’s face it, how else do you get elected or re-elected to the House? Name recognition? Well-oiled machines? Both? Basically, the successful politicos (at least in the House) are those who are adapt at distributing particularistic goods to their supporters, especially among the poor. People seem to care less about political platforms and more about what they get from the congressman. People vote for politicians who can bring the most pork barrel back to their districts, to those who can give them a handout. In short, people vote for their congress members based on a /personal/, and not a /party/ vote.

The result? Pork barrel politics. Local-centered and not national-centered legislation. Legislators who are absent a lot because they need to go home and continually remind their constituencies of just /who/ is bringing home the bacon. I’m not blaming politicians here – they’re just doing what they need to do to remain in office.

That said, do we expect the congressmen to think about the poor all the time, and to pass legislation that prioritizes the poor? Not necessarily. Probably not. Congressmen come from a different social and economic class, after all, so maybe some of them prioritize business interests (especially for campaign donors). Also, a congressman may care about the poor in his district, but who’s to say he cares the same amount for the poor who live in another district? Those people don’t vote for him anyway, so why care? What he cares about is pork for his district. The more for him, the better…

In short, we have a system that breeds a “kanya-kanya” attitude among our legislators. We have legislators, hungry for pork, who are pushing and shoving to get to the trough. Everyone else be damned. Legislation that improves the lives of the poor — on a programmatic or systematic way — takes a back seat to what the politician needs to do for political survival.

What the poor need are legislators who think about them 24/7. ALL of them, and not just those from a certain area. The party-list system was designed for this, of course, but we all know it’s not working out too well. Too confusing for the voters, perhaps. An idiotic formula that encourages fractionalization and caps party-list representation at three – definitely. A twenty percentum ceiling – an insult.

If we really want to improve the lives of the poor in this country, we ought to push for more party-list seats and fewer traditional single-member districts (the trapos dominate those, anyway).

Just my two cents. Sorry for the length.

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birth right

February 11th, 2006 at 1:02 pm

Ang hirap talaga sa atin sa mga panahon ngayon. Mantakin mo di alintana ng marami ang hirap at risk para lang manalo ng kaunting halaga! Ayoko na tuloy umuwi, dito na lang ako sa State.

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birth right

February 11th, 2006 at 1:03 pm

Ang hirap talaga sa atin sa mga panahon ngayon. Mantakin mo di alintana ng marami ang hirap at risk para lang manalo ng kaunting halaga! Buti pa yung mga nasa states-kailan kaya ako makakapunta duon, kasi TNT pwede na.

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otcgov

February 11th, 2006 at 6:43 pm

Sheila produced a great piece on this topic.
It’s not the event that’s important, it’s our poverty problem.
Funny enough, what’s more likely to happen is that we tire ourselves out with the politics, emotions and drama of a rare stampede that we end the day achieving nothing.
On to the next tragedy…

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baycas

February 12th, 2006 at 9:15 am

been there, done that…so, what’s new? – the gist of this sorrowful “wowowee” story.

it’s eight days from that fateful Saturday and we’re beginning the phase of forgetting the whole incident…forgetting the more than seventy lives who suffered perhaps senseless deaths…forgetting that the tragedy is a wake-up call and we must be awake right now…forgetting that there was deeper meaning to this heartbreaking episode in our lives – that, in one way or another, we are all to blame…

i came across just a fitting reminder (although i’m sure others would be able to also contribute to our reflection of this sad but a-learning-experience story)…

this was uploaded last February 8, 2006 at http://www.ipd.ph/features/2006/stampede.html :

—–
The ULTRA Stampede — A Shameful Indictment
Louie Montalbo
Professor in Leadership and Management, Ateneo Graduate School of Business
Associate Director, Ateneo Leaders for Health Program

“Please do something about the situation in ULTRA. This is a disaster waiting to happen.”

I sent a text like this to someone from ABS CBN as early as 8 pm, Friday night. I live right across the gate of ULTRA and saw how the crowd grew. As early as Wednesday night, people were beginning to gather around the stadium. By Thursday, the line was already snaking around ULTRA, sometimes reaching as far as the entrance of St. Paul.

The crowd that gathered in ULTRA was the Anawim of the Bible. A friend of mine who first saw the crowd thought that they were victims of a fire. They looked that desolate, that desperate. That those behind the show simply allowed old women, children, mothers carrying babies to sleep on sidewalks, braving the cold nights, with little food, and meager toilet facilities, is as much a scandal as the stampede itself. (Apparently, the network is used to such a scene since on a daily basis, those who want to enter Wowowee camp out around the compound of ABS CBN.)

Seeing the large crowd gathering in front of ULTRA that Friday night, I assessed that unless something is done to control the people waiting for the opening of the show, people will get hurt. Unfortunately, tragically, I was correct. That I did not exert more effort to find others to intervene that evening continues to haunt me.

I’m sure there were security officers detailed near the gate of ULTRA. But other than steel railings that kept people in line, I saw very little presence of officials making sure that the lines were organized. By midnight, the lines that were formed during the past days began to spill over the roads such that those entering the village where I lived could not bring in their vehicles and were forced to walk.

That many of those killed were old women can be partly explained by the fact that those in front were likely those that began to camp there as early as Wednesday. This means that by Saturday morning, they were probably weak from hunger and lack of sleep. The force of the pressing crowd behind them was too much for their physical and mental condition to resist.

Could anything have been done to avoid what happened? Of course the benefit of hindsight is always 20/20. But if someone like me had somehow foreseen it, I don’t know how those behind the show couldn’t. Couldn’t they have realized that once the gates opened, there would be a violent rush to enter? That the capacity of the stadium cannot accommodate everyone? That they should have allowed people to slowly trickle in as early as Friday? That they should have fielded more people not to secure the facility, but to PROTECT THE PEOPLE?

As we deem it necessary to make those in public offices accountable for their acts, so should we when those in the private sector, whether by commission or omission, cause undue harm to others. I will not even begin to comment on the conflicting interests behind giving prizes in a show like Wowowee.

Why am I writing this? Partly it is to purge some of the guilt I feel for not doing enough (like a typical middle class, I forgot about it once it was out of my view and got distracted with the other concerns of my life.) Partly, it is to communicate how badly I’ve been feeling about the situation. Watching how the network’s shows interpret the entire event does not help me feel better about it.

While those behind the show will have to be taken into account about the stampede, I think that the gathering of all those people for three days to get a crack, a slim crack, at a prize that will improve their lives, is a serious and shameful indictment of all of us. (It was ironic that these people were camped in an area where there are posh villages a few kilometers away.) If you saw the faces of those people, you will wonder how any of us can live with our quiet comfortable lives with such dejection and deprivation right in front of us. Where has our Christianity gone when there are still millions in our country who are like those 70 people who were killed last Saturday morning? Where are we, what are we doing, such that those who are poor pin their hopes on a celebrity like Willie Revillame?

Over and above the accountability of the network, again, we, all of us, are accountable for each of the deaths of the ULTRA stampede.

I wish that this accounting will cause us deep and tremendous anguish. Unfortunately, in all likelihood, once the images of the dead disappear from our screens, I, you, most of us will again forget them. We will go on with our quiet comfortable lives. We will again act, work, live, as if everyone can spend a hundred bucks just to enjoy a cup of frothy frappucino.

Even now, I am watching 12 celebrities begin their lives in the house of Kuya.
—–

“We’re all familiar with the phrase, ‘Been there, done that.’ It is often pronounced by the world-weary and self-proclaimed sophisticates who feel that there’s nothing new under the sun.” http://www.luminous-landscape.com/essays/done_that.shtml

the tragic event may not be new to us…but there has to be something new to us (or renewed in us) after the tears are dried; after the hearts are mended…

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naykika

February 12th, 2006 at 11:11 am

.” But if someone like me had somehow foreseen it, I don’t know how those behind the show couldn’t. Couldn’t they have realized that once the gates opened, there would be a violent rush to enter? That the capacity of the stadium cannot accommodate everyone? ”

This is copy and paste quote from Prof. Montalbo above: Of course those behind the show had forseen what the Professor had foreseen, but there is a word for it COMPLACENCY, That is one of the greatest treat that still Prevalent among us. One event after another will wake us up for a moment reprieve and then will be back in our peaceful slumber.

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Wafuller

February 16th, 2006 at 10:06 pm

It’s a shame the philippines will always be the poorest country on earth, next to africa. The whole country is unorganized, shityass military, shitty ass security, shittyass law enforcement, call the t.v. show company before calling the ambulance and police? come on now! At least, president Arroyo is trying to make an effort, don’t wanna get started on the last president..

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tessie

February 18th, 2006 at 1:10 pm

Another disaster in Leyte; we have not recovered yet from the past tragedies. Lord have mercy on us.

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PHCORE: Digital Security from a Lamer’s Perspective » Para akong na WoWoWee!

March 23rd, 2006 at 11:25 pm

[…] 8:00am, nagpunta ako sa munisipyo para kumuha ng sedula… ok naman, walang pila… Dumaan ako sa local civil registrar namin para i followup ung correction sa birth certificate ko… dito na nagcmula ang pagka wowowee ko! As usual, naghntay ako ng matagal sa loob ng civil registrar namin! Napaka arte kasi nung pinaka head nila dun… ung humahawak sa mga cases na may problema sa documents nila… Naalala ko, naiinis rin ang mommy ko dun sa “head” na un! […]

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INSIDE PCIJ: Stories behind our stories » PCIJ blog turns one year old

April 4th, 2006 at 10:48 am

[…] In the past 12 months, toe-to-toe with the well financed and organized mainstream media, we were able to cover with the same zeal and rigor that we put to our investigative reports the developments in the political and social spheres, notably the “Hello, Garci” recordings, the charges of massive electoral fraud and the use of public funds for Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s campaign, her botched and much tainted impeachment process, the spirited proposals for charter change, the Venable and other secret lobby contracts, 20 years of Edsa 1, Arroyo’s declaration of a state of national emergency, and other tragedies like the “Wowowee” stampede and the Southern Leyte mudslides. […]

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stepping on poop. » Survey says…

April 6th, 2006 at 6:09 am

[…] We live for local television. Sometimes, we even die for it. […]

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graveyard

October 28th, 2006 at 11:29 pm

Siguro May pint Kayo na Kahirapan ang Dahilan Kung Kaya Napipilitang Isugal ng isang tao ang kanyang Buhay Makamit Lang ang Maginhawang Buhay….

But On The Other side,It is still ABS-CBN’s Responsibility…..

Hindi magkakastampede kung Handa sila sa Mangyayari…..Wag Sana Nilang Sabihing Aksidente yun….Anumang Aksidente Ay Napipigilian Kung May Kongkretong Paghahanda……

Wag Rin sana Nilang Sisihin ang Mga Tao sa Nangyari…..Nagpunta sila Dun Dahil May Inaasam silang Makukuha Na Pinapangako ng Isang programang inaakala Nilang Para sa Masa….

Kung Kayo ay isang Mahirap at Nakarinig ng pangako ng isang Maginhawang buhay,Hindi Ba’t Maaakit Kayo?

Wag Naman sanang Ikatuwa ng iilan ang Kamatayan ng 81 Sa Stampede,Sana Karmahin rin ang mga Kamag-anak niyo….

Well,Nangyari na ang nangyari… *sigh*

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Far From Neutral Notions » Blog Archive » A year after the Wowowee tragedy

February 5th, 2007 at 2:52 pm

[…] Yesterday was the first anniversary of the Wowowee stampede that ended in the deaths over 70 people, trampled while lining up for the noontime show’s promise of instant wealth. And I didn’t realize it until I saw a small photo on today’s Inquirer: it’s on the bottom half of the flap, with a caption noting the mass being held to remember the departed. All of a sudden this PCIJ blog post is all too prophetic: […]

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