GMA-7's Case Unclosed

[uwagan]

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Victims, kin mark 3rd anniversary of deadly 'Ultra stampede'
02/04/2009 | 12:27 PM
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MANILA, Philippines - Families of the victims of the 2006 stampede at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City gathered at the site on Wednesday in what had become an annual commemoration of the tragic event that killed 71 people.

GMA’s Flash report said that aside from the victims' families, other surviving victims of the stampede and members of the Volunteers against Crime and Corruption (VACC) also showed up at the event.

Clad in black shirts, participants lit candles and offered prayers and flowers for the 71 people who died in the stampede which happened on Feb. 4, 2006.

Around 30,000 people had gathered at the PhilSports Arena on that day three years ago, all hoping to get a chance to enter the venue for the anniversary special of ABS-CBN’s noontime show "Wowowee."

However, when organizers of the show announced that they could only accommodate 17,000 people inside the arena, hordes of people panicked and scrambled toward the steel gate.

The gate eventually gave in and the rush of people triggered a stampede that crushed and pinned down scores of people, leaving 71 dead and many more hurt.

During the event, VACC chairman Dante Jimenez lamented how the victims’ chances of getting justice seemed to be going dimmer as each year passes.

Jimenez said that the criminal cases for reckless imprudence resulting in homicide and physical injuries lodged against ABS-CBN officials who organized the show have been proceeding at a slow pace.

Show host Willie Revillame was initially included in the charge sheet but the Department of Justice later exempted him, saying that the television personality, despite egging people to turn up at the anniversary special, was not the "proximate cause" for the stampede.

The charges stemmed from the findings of the Task Force Ultra and the National Bureau of Investigation showing probable cause for the filing of criminal charges.

ABS-CBN later questioned the results of the Justice Department's preliminary investigation on the incident, but the Supreme Court junked the television network's motion in January 2008. - Mark Merueñas, GMANews.TV

[janeg]

talagang sinisilip nila kabilang network as if they dont have unclosed cases of their own!

[lola_crys]

but the fact man gud nga willy keep on inviting sa tv nga moadto sa ultra because anniversary nila unya dagko ug prizes. mao nay naka cause ug naka pa motivate sa mga viewers nga mo adto sila. kay ang mga tawo gusto pud tawun maka tilaw ug swerte peru instead of swerte nagka stampede... they should have said it sa television nga ang capacity sa ulta is around 7,000+ only.. both the management ug mga pipol ang naay sayop.

hmmm... mka attract mn jud nag tao ang mga events, labi na dagko daw prices. wa siguro ga expect si willie dghn mu ad2 kay limited rmn ang place... dao sad guro sa too much advertising, nya ang mga tao dali ra bya kaayu ma attracted ana sad. ^_^