100 stampede victims mull class suit

The Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) said yesterday at least 100 victims of the Ultra stampede have sought legal assistance for a possible class suit against event organizers involved in the tragedy that claimed 71 lives.

VACC president Martin Diño said more or less 100 people have consulted with lawyers at an assistance desk they set up outside the PhilSports Arena (formerly Ultra).

Open from Monday to Friday, the help desk attends to families of victims seeking to take legal action against ABS-CBN, organizer of the event that resulted in the stampede in Pasig City.

"However, the VACC doesn’t just files a case if evidence is not intact. If it is not an airtight case, it would simply be dismissed by the fiscal," Dino said.

The VACC advised people to give their statements to the National Bureau of Investigation.

Diño said they are also coordinating with the Department of Health "because some of these people need psychiatrists.

"Some are still traumatized by the incident," he said.

Diño said one woman, who was trapped beneath a pile of dead bodies during the stampede, now has trouble sleeping.

"Whenever she feels something touch her, she would wake up screaming," he said.

Meanwhile, the number of injured victims in the stampede has increased from 300 to more than 600, according to an official of the NBI.

NBI-NCR Director Ruel Lasala said the number is based on information gathered from the three hospitals that attended to the victims. These are the Quirino Hospital in Quezon City, the Medical City and the Pasig City General Hospital both in Pasig City.

"The number of injured victims could reach more than 600. Some of them said they no longer went to the hospitals to be treated," Lasala said.

He said an assessment has to be made to find out if they are indeed legitimate claimants. Proof could be in the form of a medical certificate, confirmation from another victim or being identified in a video footage.

Lasala said that if they fail to support their claim, they would be treated as witnesses in the case and not direct complainants.

He pointed out that while the NBI has 30 men involved in the fact-finding probe since Feb. 9, a lot of work has to be done.

Diño said they gathered 300 medical certificates, took down 56 statements from witnesses and victims and reviewed the autopsy reports.

"We are doing our best to finish our investigation. We want to come up with an exhaustive report. The purpose of our investigation is to determine why this happened and who should be held liable, if there are any, for the death of the 71 people," he said. – Evelyn Macairan