‘GMA won’t influence DOJ on stampede issue’

President Arroyo has no intention of influencing the Department of Justice (DOJ) investigation into the stampede that killed at least 71 people outside the Philippine Sports Arena in Pasig prior to the noontime TV show "Wowowee" on Feb. 4, Malacañang said yesterday.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita told reporters yesterday that Mrs. Arroyo had become "a bit emotional" over the deaths when she assigned blame to the show’s producer, ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp., for the tragedy on Tuesday.

"I think the President was just echoing what she had read and what she had seen, not necessarily because there was an intention on her part (to steer) the investigation this way or the other because so much had been said about the ongoing investigation. The fact remains that there 71 people dead, and therefore something must be done to determine the culpability," he said.

Meanwhile, Interior Undersecretary for Public Safety Marius Corpuz claimed yesterday that ABS-CBN was "trying to hide the truth" about the tragedy.

Speaking at a National Press Club forum yesterday, Corpuz said ABS-CBN had been "uncooperative" during an initial 72-hour fact-finding investigation into the cause of the stampede.

"During the fact-finding hearing, they did not submit the video footage," he said. Corpuz said the resource persons sent by ABS-CBN gave "evasive answers" to investigators.

"During the interview they would either reply ‘Di ko alam (I don’t know)’ or "Wala sila duon (They were not there),’" he said. "In this particular case, there is an attempt to conceal what happened."

Ermita, however, appealed to the media not to infer any judgment in Mrs. Arroyo’s statements.

"Too many died and hundreds were injured and can we say that there was no negligence somewhere?" he asked. "That’s unbelievable."

Ermita said it would be impossible for Mrs. Arroyo not to comment on the tragedy, particularly on who might be responsible for the lives lost.

"While she did not specifically name ABS-CBN, Mrs. Arroyo pointed to negligence and carelessness of the organization that sponsored the game show," he said.

On the other hand, Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said it was "clear" from firsthand accounts and from the Department of Justice investigation that the tragedy could have been prevented if the event organizers had implemented proper crowd control and coordinated with authorities.

"Claims of persecution and harassment by the latter are bunk," he said. "President Arroyo is out for the truth and to defend the victims who cannot defend themselves."

Bunye said ABS-CBN was trying to "muddle" the issue and evade justice through propaganda.

"The families of the victims will obtain justice from this government, and no amount of propaganda from affected interests will deter us from this pursuit," he said.

On the other hand, the National Bureau of Investigation was puzzled by reports that two hours after the stampede at the Philsports Arena, some of the recovered bodies were already stiff.

The NBI said they were still determining the actual time at which the victims perished outside the PhilSports Arena after receiving information that some of the victims were already dead the previous day.

Head Agent Ferdinand Lavin, NBI-National Capital Region executive officer for administration, said six days into their investigation, they still have not determined the time of the incident. — Paolo Romero, Evelyn Macairan