NBI summons ABS-CBN officials over stampede

The first batch of ABS-CBN officials and "Wowowee" organizers are scheduled to appear at the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) this morning to shed light on the Feb. 4 stampede at the Philsports Arena (formerly Ultra) that caused the death of 71 people.

The investigation would be conducted at the second floor of the NBI main building. Just across the building at the gymnasium, the bureau would be entertaining the estimated 200 victims of the stampede, escorted by the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) founding chairman Dante Jimenez.

NBI head agent Ferdinand Lavin, NBI-National Capital Region (NCR) executive officer for administration, however, gave assurances that the presence of the complainants and ABS-CBN officials in the NBI compound at the same time would not trigger any commotion. He said the parties would not meet and that he will be implementing crowd control.

"We would have 30 NCR agents and they would be assisted by other divisions," Lavin added.

The victims are scheduled to arrive as early as 9 a.m., while ABS-CBN and "Wowowee" officials would arrive an hour later.

The seven invited ABS-CBN officials include vice president and security chief Rene Luspo, assistant location manager Rey Cayabyab, associate producer Harold James Nueva, segment producer Owen Garcia, production manager and business unit head Marilou Almaden, executive producer-manager Morly Nueva, and a location manager.

"Wowowee" host Willie Revillame, ABS-CBN executive vice president Charo Santos-Concio and four others are scheduled to come to the NBI tomorrow. The NBI was given until Tuesday to wrap up its investigation and come out with its findings and recommendations.

"We will ask them if they are amenable to a question-and-answer type of investigation or if they have a statement and we would just ask clarificatory questions based on their affidavit," said Lavin.

The NBI has interviewed officials and representatives from other agencies such as Pasig City Mayor Vicente Eusebio, the Bureau of Fire Protection and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority.

Meanwhile, NBI-NCR Regional Director Ruel Lasala said that since it was the VACC who took down the statements of the victims, "they (victims) would have to subscribe their statements under oath before the NBI."

He would set up tables for 10 agents who would take the victims’ individual sworn statements.

The VACC had set up a similar assistance center at the Ultra immediately after the stampede. They are now contemplating filing a class suit against those liable.

VACC chairman Jimenez said he will submit names of persons who they believe should be prosecuted.

"I will read to the complainants our final report and submit it to the NBI. Last week, we only gave them our partial report. Today, we have new observations and we would give out the names of those individuals who should be indicted," he said.

He admitted that some of the "Wowowee" victims felt bad that their plight was forgotten after the Southern Leyte landslide two weeks ago. Thousands of people have died in the incident.

It has been three weeks since the early morning commotion along the Captain Javier Street side of Ultra in Pasig City when some 30,000 people assembled to watch "Wowowee’s" first anniversary show, hoping to win millions worth of prizes.

Lasala said that since they began their in-depth investigation into the stampede, their operating cost has shot up as they had to pay for the photocopies of majority of the medical certificates of almost 900 victims. Each certificate cost around P80.

"Since majority of those who were hurt in the stampede were financially strapped, there were several instances when they would ask not only for transportation fare so they could return home but also money to buy food," Lasala added. — Evelyn Macairan