The stampede: ‘writing on the wall’

What had given thousands of people hope to lift up their lives ended in a gruesome tragedy. They had trooped early Saturday to the Philippine Sports Arena (formerly Ultra) to watch the taping of the first year anniversary celebration of ABS-CBN’s "Wowowee" show in Pasig City. They had been filled with visions of winning prizes in the show’s exciting portion, "Pera o Bayong" – P2 million in cash, P1 million each for the winning contestant and the home partner, two houses and lots, 15 brand new passenger jeepneys, two brand new taxicabs with franchise, 20 tricycle units, and other prizes.

Hardly had the show begun when 73 of them were crushed to death and 300 seriously injured in a horrible stampede. The Philsport stadium had been filled to the rafters (with 8,000 people), and the oval teemed with 7,000. But more than 50,000 people desperately wanted to get into the arena, and they caused such pandemonium as they pushed and shoved – like a pack of wolves, so said the government task force investigating the incident – broke down the gates, and mindlessly stepped on the elderly and weak, and women and children.

The waste of lives released an avalanche of reactions. The ABS-CBN network owners and show organizers were blamed for the tragedy. They were said not to have provided adequate security systems, had not in fact coordinated with the national police to ensure the viewing public’s safety. The task force head, Interior Undersecretary Marius Corpus, delivered an unforgivable faux pas with his statement that the huge crowd had been "enticed and made to suffer all sorts of inconvenience and, in that sense, were exploited, manipulated, treated like animals." It’s unbelievable how Corpus could make such a judgment; he later apologized for using such language. He showed how undiplomatic he could be under pressure.

Some people had gone to great lengths of moralizing about how people would be so lured into visions of making money that they would risk their lives in doing so. But even if middle-class people would gamble their savings and buy sweepstakes tickets to get hold of cash, you can’t blame the thousands of presumably impoverished families and squatters pining for a bayong of cash and goodies.

My heart goes out to both victims and their families, and to the ABS-CBN family and the show organizers who never would have imagined reeking havoc of such magnitude. My heart goes out to the program host, Willie Revillame, and ABS-CBN chair Eugenio "Gabby" Lopez was obviously in pain as he condoled with the victims’ families and gave assurance of his network giving them financial assistance.

"It was a writing on the wall," said Gina Lopez, head of ABS-CBN Foundation, whom I met yesterday at a media-spa in White Plains. She was appalled at the men and women who continued to rush to get inside the compound, not minding the bodies they trampled on. "They had seen the bodies on the ground, but they did not care."

She said that contrary to reports, ABS-CBN had actually fielded 123 security guards for the event. But people kept coming – and stayed in front of the Philsport building days before the event, standing on their ABS-CBN personnel, including social workers, quickly began following up on the victims, checking funeral parlors and visiting the injured in hospitals in Metro Manila. Gina said the families would be compensated on a case-to-case basis. Requests have been considered, such as transporting the victims’ bodies to as far as Tarlac and Davao City.

One of the victims, said Gina, was a four-year-old girl who had said she wanted to win a cash prize because she wanted her mother to stop washing clothes for other people. Assistance to the family will include finding a means of support for the girl’s mother.

Gabby had offered to defray the cost of education of a little girl whose mother died in the stampede.

Gina learned of the tragedy only at 11 o’clock. She had not paid attention to the call-signals in her cell phone, as she was attending to the "space cleaning" being made in her office building "to drive negative forces away." When she switched on to her cell phone’s inbox, she was surprised at the numerous messages speaking of the tragedy that had taken place at Philsport. The space cleaning should have been done at the Philsport complex, don’t you think?

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THE 2004 FAMILY PLANNING SURVEY (FPS), the latest study on family planning trends conducted by the National Statistics Office (NSO), shows that pill usage has steadily risen in the last nine years. Between 2003 and 2004, the prevalence rate of oral contraceptives rose from 13.2 to 15.6 percent.

With the gradual phaseout of contraceptive pill supplies from foreign donors, women of reproductive ages need not worry about getting their monthly supply. That’s on account of Organon, a pharmaceutical company, having embarked on a move to help meet the Philippines’ increasing desire for family planning self-reliance by relaunching the modern low-dose oral contraceptive Desogestrel 150 mcg/Ethinylestradiol 30 mcg at a lower price of only P75 per strip of 21 pills.

Francesca Ballmer, general manager of Organon Philippines, says, "Organon believes it can lay an important role in helping to contribute to the Millennium Development goals, and is determined to do so." She is confident that by offering the pill, "We will help more women have improved access to safe and reliable contraception, while freeing up public health resources and reserve public funds to those clients who cannot afford paying for their contraceptive needs." The pill, whose popular name we are told we cannot write, and which is available on prescription, is expected to increase the Contraceptive Prevalence Rate.

The product is represented by a blue couple logo symbolizing the couple’s harmonious, peaceful and loving relationship. The 28-day regimen consists of 21 pieces of the pill for 21 days, and seven days of placebo tablets. Ms. Ballmer says the pill is formulated to work in harmony with the female body, thus, resulting in fewer side effects. The oral contraceptive is proven to have no significant effect on blood pressure, hemostasis, lipid metabolism, and carbohydrate metabolism. It also reduces the incidence of dysmenorrhea and symptoms of premenstrual syndrome and has a negligible effect on body weight and can significantly improve acne. It is US-FDA approved, and is supported by clinical trials and publications.

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SOME PHOTOGRAPHS are just too good that they can pass for art pieces. The photographs of Vicki Taufer, a most sough-after speaker and considered by Kodak as one of the industry’s up-and-coming photographers, are that good.

Taufer, together with Michael Taylor, who has been hailed as the best environmental portrait photographer in the world, leads the lineup of well-chosen speakers from the US and the Philippines in "PhotoWorld Manila 2006," which will be held February 9-14 at Glorietta, Ayala Center in Makati City. The show will feature a trade show, photo exhibit, rummage sale, workshops and seminars and a photographers’ night. Makati Mayor Jojo Binay will open the show at 6 o’clock tonight.

Joining Taufer and Taylor will be Jeffrey Aaronson, internationally recognized photojournalist who has worked on assignment with Time Life, National Geographic Society, Fortune, Business week, New Your Times Magazine, travel & leisure, Rolling Stone, and Vanity Fair.

Local heavyweights are Edwin Tuyay and Bobot Meru, Anton Sheker, Salvi Casino, Pancho Escaler, Rupert Jacinto, Dopy Doplon and Lex Kabigting, Achiles Mina, Zean Villongco, Honey Oliveros, Eric Ramos, and John Chua.

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My e-mail: [email protected]