Ultra stampede survivors recall tragedy

Survivors of last year’s deadly Ultra stampede and families of the victims returned to the site of the tragedy in Pasig City on Sunday and offered prayers for the 71 people who perished in the tragedy.

They also renewed their call for justice for those who were trampled to death.

Accompanied by Volunteers against Crime and Corruption (VACC) chairman Dante Jimenez, the survivors started pouring to the Philsports Arena — better known as Ultra, its former name — as early as 6 a.m. to mark the tragedy’s first anniversary.

Jimenez revealed plans to put up a marker at the site to commemorate the disaster.

On the morning of Feb. 4 last year, 71 people perished while hundreds others were injured in a stampede that occurred hours before the start of the first anniversary special presentation of ABS-CBN’s hit noontime game show "Wowowee."

After the tragedy, the TV network established 71 Dreams Foundation to extend financial assistance to the survivors and families of those killed.

The foundation vowed to continue helping improve lives of the families whose loved ones perished in the stampede. "We do not promise instant solutions but a partnership which involves the values of hardwork, respect and cooperation," it said in a statement.

Charges of reckless imprudence resulting to multiple homicide and physical injuries were filed against over a dozen ABS-CBN officials and organizers of the television show.

Government investigators held the giant broadcast network liable for the incident, saying it failed to put in place contingency plans in case of an emergency.

ABS-CBN maintains that network officials and Wowowee’s organizers did all they could to prevent a stampede.

Interior Undersecretary Marius Corpus, who headed a fact-finding panel, charged that the network treated Wowowee fans — who had lined up for days outside the stadium, hoping to get in — "like animals made to suffer inconveniences and made to fight for raffle tickets."

Reacting to Corpus’ statement, ABS-CBN chief executive Eugenio Lopez III made a rare public television appearance and vowed to take full responsibility for the stampede. But he said he was "outraged" by Corpus’ statement and denied that fans were treated shabbily.

About 30,000 people had massed outside the Philsports Arena to get into the live broadcast of Wowowee, in which huge prizes were to be offered to the audience. But the stadium could only accommodate 17,000 people.

The crowd broke through a metal gate, trampling upon one another in the rush for tickets. Most of the stampede victims were middle-aged or elderly women. Some of the dead still had their eyes open.

Fans had hoped to win jeepneys or houses or the top prize of P1 million, a special offering on the show’s first anniversary.

Around 40 percent of Filipinos live on about P100 a day, and game shows like Wowowee that offer substantial prizes have a huge following. — Non Alquitran