By Ronron
February 3, 2007
“It’s already one year since the tragedy and it seems like nothing has happened. There is no justice yet.”
These were the words of Rizal Javierto, 44, of Caloocan City, when Manila Shimbun talked to him three days before the so-called “Ultra Stampede” incident, one of the many tragedies to hit the Philippines in 2006, marks its first anniversary Sunday.
Javierto lost his 83-year-old mother, Virginia, and 53-year-old sister, Josephine, in that tragedy that claimed over 70 lives and wounded over 500 others out of the estimated 30,000 crowd that was seeking to gain entry inside the Philippine Sports Arena, popularly known as Ultra, on February 4, 2006 to watch the first anniversary special of ABS-CBN’s “Wowowee” noontime show, and at the same time, take a chance of winning prizes at stake.
Javierto and a few other victims expressed dismay at the slow progress of the case against the management of ABS-CBN Corporation, and at the company’s alleged failure to provide assistance due them.
“The court should not be pressured by ABS-CBN, just because it is a powerful and rich company. It’s just a preliminary investigation and yet, it’s taking a year. Maybe if I was the one who committed the crime, even against just one person, I have long been in jail already,” Javierto said in Filipino.
Javierto said justice to him means making the executives of ABS-CBN held liable for the death and wounding of many people.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has yet to file before the court the “reckless imprudence resulting in multiple homicide and multiple physical injuries” case against 12 ABS-CBN executives and personalities, two Ultra employees, and three others from the security agency of ABS-CBN because of motions for reconsideration and similar petitions filed by the media company to higher courts.
Recommended charged are ABS-CBN Vice President for Entertainment Ma. Rosario Santos-Concio; Senior Vice President for Television Production Ma. Socorro Vidanes; Executive Producer Marilou Almaden; Cipriano Luspo, assistant Vice President and head of security; Morley Stuart Nueva, executive producer and manager; host Willie Revillame; Harold James Nueva, associate producer for sets and technical; Norbert Vidanes, show director; Ray Cayabyab, assistant location manager and security coordinator; Francisco Rivera, ABS-CBN’s location manager; Jean Owen Garcia, segment producer and floor director; and Mel Feliciano, assistant director and floor Director.
From the Ultra management, implicated were Engineer Jess Belardo, the building administrator, and Erlinda Reis, booking and events coordinator.
And from Goldlink Security Agency, recommended for charging are Rosenbar Viloria, staff director for operations; and securities in charge Wilfron Onanad and Chito Payumo.
Just last January 18, ABS-CBN elevated its appeal for the nullification of the DOJ resolution to the Supreme Court after the Court of Appeals denied the same last year. The SC is yet to resolve the matter.
ABS-CBN argues that the October 9, 2006 resolution of the DOJ was tainted with bias and impartiality since no less than Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez made early pronouncements to the media about ABS-CBN’s liability.
“Yes, it (ABS-CBN) is following the law (by making appeals). But that is a very long process. I think filing those motions for reconsideration is just a delaying tactic of ABS-CBN,” lamented Javierto.
To make things worse, he said ABS-CBN continues to deny them of the assistance it has promised them after the incident struck.
“I asked for a vehicle like jeepney or taxi, or a grocery store for my livelihood. But they said they cannot give that. They cannot make us instant millionaires,” Javierto said.
He acknowledged though that ABS-CBN gave P70,000 each for the deaths of his mother and sister for the burial and funeral expenses. The same is true with Alfredo Narvaez, 74, whose 69-year-old wife, Ester, was also among those killed.
“I think that amount was not enough for the funeral and burial. In fact, we took charge of the burial expenses already,” Narvaez told Manila Shimbun in Filipino in a separate interview.
Asked how much should ABS-CBN pay them for the lost lives of their relatives, both said it is up to the court to determine that. Almost all who died are adult women.
But Javierto was particularly demanding P1 million from ABS-CBN since he claims that his mother was receiving a monthly pension of P50,000 from the US government until she died.
“Come to think of it, P1 million is just too little an amount to compensate for the death of my mother,” he said.
A few survivors of the tragedy are also complaining about their being marginalized by ABS-CBN, as if they are not suffering from any ailments to this day brought about by the initial injuries they incurred.
“We did not receive any assistance… They must also give us assistance because without our testimony, nobody would have known the incident,” said Evelyn Logon, 54, of Caloocan City, one of the injured victims.
“As for me, I just need a medical assistance. I’ve been seeking medical attention using my own money because a few days after the incident, when I went to ABS-CBN, all they could give us was a massage,” added Juanita Amorin, 36, from Sta. Mesa, Manila City.
Both Logon and Amorin complained of occasional recurrence of pain in the bones, particularly on their legs and back, caused by the stampede. Both said they were pinned hard during the scuffle, they even thought they would not come out alive after seeing those immediately above, below and beside them dead already.
But the ABS-CBN-created 71 Dreams Foundation said theirs is to provide extended assistance only to families of the killed victims whose dreams of living a better life were crushed during that tragedy.
ABS-CBN Public Relations chief Manoli Manalastas maintained that the injured victims were given first aid and hospitalization needs after the incident.
“The goal of the partnership is to make beneficiaries self-sufficient, with a sense of autonomy, freedom, and most especially, gratitude – teach them to fish rather than giving them fish,” said Fr. Carmelo Caluag II of the 71 Dreams Foundation in an interview with Manila Shimbun.
He said the foundation seeks to compensate for the lost economic capability of the killed victims by providing livelihood assistance, educational support, and referrals for employment.
This is on top of the intensive counseling, family conference and medical assistance they extend to some of the families.
Caluag disclosed that a total of 43 persons from 36 families already received livelihood assistance after they completed a one-month training course, and their proposed business ventures were approved for being viable ones.
Most of these are sari-sari stores (including rice), while the rest are carenderia, manicure/pedicure, noodle house, fruit stand, auto surplus shop, tire recapping, cellphone repair/load retail, buy and sell of vegetables, balut and cigarette vending, pedicab, buy and sell of charcoal, and peanut vending.
The rest, however, have yet to start up their own businesses because during evaluation, they fail. There are also some who could not yet present their proposed businesses because of internal disputes with other family members.
Caluag said there were also three families who refused to receive assistance, saying they could provide for themselves already.
“Our goal is to make them self-reliant and become responsible and productive members of the society,” he said. And for them, this is a big challenge because the surviving families are unemployed and have always been dependent on the deceased for support.
Manalastas and Caluag assured that even if the victims pursue the legal case against ABS-CBN, the assistance they have provided and will be providing continues.
“We believe that every single individual has the right to take legal action that they believe is due them. Just the same that we as a network has the right to protect our interest. But that doesn’t mean that the commitment of the company to assist those affected will stop. The legal aspect of this incident is totally different from the sincere commitment of our Chairman to assist the victims,” Manalastas said.
While the complaining victims, numbering to almost 300 under the care of the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC), also want the “Wowowee” show to temporarily stop from airing until the case is resolved, Manalastas said the company could not just do that because it has become another form of public service program of the company.
Javierto, Logon, and four other victims whom Manila Shimbun talked to said that the continuous airing of the show is like an insult to them who still have to get justice from the tragedy they fell into because of the irresponsible handling of the crowd by the show organizers.
“They are all having fun there, without realizing that there are people like us who continue to cry for the loss of our loved ones, or who continue to feel the pain in our bodies after being trampled upon,” Javierto said.
Logon said she is particularly angry at Revillame for being irresponsible in drawing in the crowd by encouraging them to go to Ultra even when people have started to line up at the venue five days ahead of the activity.
“I guess he really was just concerned about the ratings,” Logon said of the actor-host. “Wowowee” is being matched by ABS-CBN against GMA 7 television network’s long-running “Eat Bulaga” noontime show.
Asked what did ABS-CBN learn from the tragedy, Manalastas said better ways of handling audience have been adopted by the company, starting from the selection process.
She said before the audience could go to the studio or any venue of any ABS-CBN show, they are already pre-selected through text messaging system. This way, a huge crowd is being avoided.
They have also banned below seven-year-old children and pregnant women from watching live shows, while senior citizens or those 60 years old and above and being brought to a special lane.
And to erase perceptions that they are tolerating or promoting mendicancy, Manalastas said winners of big prizes are educated on possible investments of the amount they have won. She said winners are being referred to the ABS-CBN’s micro-financing group.
“Our programs never encourage people to depend on it. We forget that it was originally a game show, it’s just like Kwarta O Kahon (a game show famous in the 1980’s). But it has just evolved into something like this now (Wowowee). And people begin to say that this is a good public service program where those who wish to help use it as a venue for their donation… And who are we to deny giving help to those in need,” said Manalastas.
When an inter-government agency completed its probe of the incident, Interior and Local Government Undersecretary Marius Corpus accused ABS-CBN and the show executives of maltreating the crowd, as though they were animals, because of offering a few tickets to some special prizes for so many aspirants, eventually causing the stampede.
“It can be seen that the crowd at the Ultra was enticed and made to suffer all sorts of inconveniences and in that sense, were exploited, manipulated, treated like animals. The decision or act of offering so few tickets (300 only) to so many people can be likened to throwing a small slice of meat to a hungry pack of wolves,” Corpus said then.
On the eve of the first anniversary of the tragedy, the victims who sought refuge at the VACC will hold a vigil at the Ultra to offer prayers for those who died and to air their demand for justice.
ABS-CBN had earlier offered a mass on Friday night in memoriam of the stampede victims.
“We will not stop our fight, and to hold rallies until the case is resolved,” Javierto vowed./DMS
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