GMA blames ‘Wowowee’ organizers for stampede

President Arroyo blamed the organizers of the "Wowowee" game show yesterday for failing to prevent the tragic stampede in a sports stadum in Pasig City last Feb. 4 in which at least 71 people were killed and over 600 others injured.

Speaking publicly about the tragedy for the first time, Mrs. Arroyo also vowed to bring to justice those responsible.

"The stampede is a tragedy that exposed the negligence and carelessness of the organization that sponsored (Wowowee)," she said in an interview over radio station dzRH.

"What is saddening is that instead of paying attention to taking care of the needs of the victims and admit responsibility, the sponsors of the show are trying to blame the victims because they’re poor," she said.

"Whoever is responsible according to the investigation should be held responsible," Mrs. Arroyo added.

Commenting on Mrs. Arroyo’s statement, network giant ABS-CBN, which airs the game show, issued a statement: "We are saddened that President Arroyo has prejudged the results of the government investigation into the Ultra (Philsports Arena’s former name) stampede."

It emphasized that ABS-CBN chief executive Eugenio "Gabby" Lopez III "has already claimed moral responsibility, and ABS-CBN moved immediately to address the needs of the victims and their families. We continue to do so, focusing now on medium- and long-term assistance."

Earlier, a fact-finding panel formed by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) concluded that the organizers of "Wowowee" failed to provide security for fans and could be held criminally liable for the tragedy.

The panel cited at least three unnamed ABS-CBN executives for negligence. It submitted its findings to the Department of Justice which is now determining if someone should be held liable and charged.

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), which is under the justice department, is currently conducting its own investigation.

The show’s host, Willie Revillame, and possibly several top ABS-CBN executives — including Lopez and Charo Santos-Concio, the network’s vice president for entertainment — may be invited for questioning by the NBI.

"Mr. Revillame, in fairness, would be invited because there are those who gave statements that it was Revillame who invited them on television to go the show’s anniversary," said Ferdinand Lavin, executive officer for administration of the NBI’s National Capital Region office.

"We have already completed 60 to 70 percent of our investigation. We might finish our investigation within the week or by Friday," Lavin said.

The DILG’s swift inquiry had put the blame solely on ABS-CBN and verbal attacks on the network had raised fears that the administration was clamping down on media outfits considered critical of the government.

Critics countered that the tragedy was a sad commentary on the administration’s failure to help poor families, who are forced to seek entertainment and promises of prizes to escape their plight.

Malacañang has repeatedly insisted it is not taking advantage of the tragedy to get back at ABS-CBN, which has been critical of the administration’s policies.

Lopez earlier said he assumed responsibility for the incident and committed himself to assisting the victims.

It was not the first time that Mrs. Arroyo had hit the network. Last year, she accused one of its reporters of coddling a suspected terrorist.

Some 30,000 people had massed outside Philsports Arena to get into the live airing of "Wowowee," during which huge prizes were to be offered to the audience. But the stadium could only accommodate 17,000.

The crowd broke through a metal gate, trampling over one another in a rush for tickets.

Fans had hoped to win jeepneys or houses or even the top prize of P1 million, a special offering for the show’s first anniversary.

Around 40 percent of Filipinos live on about P100 a day, and game shows like "Wowowee" that offer substantial prizes have a huge following.

Interior Undersecretary Marius Corpus, the head of the DILG fact-finding panel, said ABS-CBN treated the thousands of "Wowowee" fans who gathered "like animals, made to suffer inconveniences and made to fight for raffle tickets."

Corpus later apologized for the statement after Lopez III expressed outrage and denied the network treated fans shabbily.

Aside from possible criminal charges from the Department of Justice, ABS-CBN is facing a possible lawsuit from stampede survivors and families of the victims.

Network spokeswoman Tina Monzon-Palma said the broadcast giant would welcome the class-action suit, whose complainants are being assisted by an anti-crime civic organization, Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption.

ABS-CBN demanded another "impartial investigation" into the stampede, noting that members of the DILG panel included police officials who ABS-CBN believes should also share in the blame for the tragedy.

Network officials maintain that "Wowowee" organizers did all they could to ensure safety.

They point to their Jan. 17 letter to Pasig City Mayor Vicente Eusebio seeking a permit for the show, in which they reportedly sought extra security assistance from local authorities because a stampede for tickets was a possibility. — With Evelyn Macairan