Mob Mayhem
NEWS : Stampede at the Ultragedy!
It’s true, tragedy does strike when we least expected it… Just this Saturday (04 February 2006), BAD NEWS leaked early morning while my classmates and I were pre-occupied with a review of the previous sessions. Apparently, an accident occurred somewhere in the Metropolis that resulted in unconfirmed deaths. The gruesome body count started at 40+ and by the time I got home after lunchtime, this number has increased to 70!
What supposedly should have been a festive celebration for the one year anniversary of a no-brainer noontime gameshow named “Wowowee” turned into one TRAGIC event. A stampede took place in Philsports Arena (formerly the Ultra Stadium hence the title) when hordes and hordes of well-wishers rushed into the entrance gate hoping to get a ‘crack’ at the fabulous prizes up for grabs. There was definitely pushing and shoving as everyone was so agitated to get in and get a seat, after all, most of them waited for days and even camped at the vicinity just to be sure they’ll be in once the show starts.
Now who are these people by the way? Well for one thing, the immense crowd whose numbers have started to pile up as early as Monday afternoon (30 January 2006), belonged to the lower classes – the POOR in general. Many of them even came from the provinces with a single-journey ticket hoping that one way or the other, they will ‘win’ something (or so they thought). The numbers swelled to as much as 30,000, as earlier boasted by the sponsor local network’s (ABC-CBN Channel 2) primetime news program (YES, they use their own news program to promote their own shows). This figure, even exceeding that of the venue’s maximum capacity of 17,000 seats, may be attributed by the network giant’s massive and unrelenting marketing or promotional activities plus the gameshow’s notorious reputation for indulging the audience with lots and lots of monetary come-ons!
Unfortunately, no matter how noble the intention of the show may be (re: to help the needy poor), things didn’t turn out as planned and the resulting tragedy resulted to 70+ deaths and more than 300 displaced and injured individuals. State intervention responded in the form of crowd control and dispersal right after the horrific incident that shocked the entire nation (everybody was literally hooked up in the network giant’s all-day coverage of its OWN FILTH). As always the President came and delivered a mandate – she wants to know WHO IS LIABLE for this mess and she wants him/her to be charged accordingly within a 72 hours from the time of the incidence. Oh-oh, heads will definitely roll and I’m sure, ABS-CBN will suffer the consequences!
Of course, the network was quick to act on its own responsibility, though it did not directly admit its own NEGLIGENCE. It’s line-up of sympathetic senior officers, led by the company’s CEO Eugenio Lopez III (incumbent alpha-male of the rich and powerful Lopez Clan), promised to provide those affected by the tragedy complete financial assistance such as burial costs for the dead, medication for the injured, and transportation expenses for those who came from far-flung provinces with just a one-way ticket. Now this is A LOT OF MONEY but hey, the network, not to mention the elite family who owns it, is uber-rich anyway… Besides, it’s obviously their fault so they have no choice but to answer absolutely everything. Money can be easily gained, it’s going to be the HEAVY CONSCIENCE these people will have to bear for he next few weeks that will really get to them. A word of caution though, be very careful of the “glorified poor”, they have minds of their own and they can be very deceitful. One way or the other, some of them will find ways of abusing the courtesy that is afforded of them (typical Filipino “underdog complex”) and they will use said advantage extensively…
In the end, NOBODY wanted for this catastrophe to happen. This entry wasn’t even made so that people who believe that “Everything is in God’s plan” will lose faith or something (I don’t care about their faith, I have mine to worry about…). Then again, someone has to be made accountable, and it’s definitely not the government, as what the IGNORANT militant groups have earlier declared using the bylines of poverty and desperation. Let’s be honest ok, the stampede happened because of lack of discipline and sense of responsibility. For the organizers, there was obviously a coordination problem and mediocre planning. I also point the finger on the show for promoting a culture of dependency, mendicancy, and quick fortune. People may ask me “Where’s your heart?”, but in times like this, one also needs to use common sense to see the bigger picture.
“The impatient buildup of dreams exploded into a mad, deadly rush.” (Philippine Daily Inquirer)
