The night before I headed back to Manila, I spoke to my parents who had caught a snippet on the news about a stampede at an event in Metro Manila that resulted in a number of deaths and injuries. Shortly after my arrival, I learned of what is being termed the “Ultra stampede”. Apparently, a local game show – Wowowee – was holding an anniversary event in the city. More people arrived to attend than were expected and a number of fake tickets were sold and at some point pushing and shoving degraded into a human stampede. Within hours of the tragedy, an investigation had begun into how it could have occurred. By Tuesday, preliminary inquries were being closed. While the production company (TV station?) has accepted some responsibility for the tragedy, the TV reps have also stated that both the city government and local police should shoulder some of the blame as the station had applied for a permit, filed emergency plans for possible overcrowding, had arranged for private security and invited local police officers to help with crowd control. Witness reports have been made public stating that when the stampede begain, local police sat back and did not attempt to control the crowd or assist those caught up in the stampede. There is so much passing of blame on the local news – some going as far as placing blame and complete responsibility on those who attended the event and eventually became the victims of the stampede. News programs have featured guests who have suggested that the denegration of common courtesy within the past 10 years had contributed to the tragedy. People are less concerned with others and are more interested in instant gratification and personal gain rather than assisting others. Sounds strangely familar..

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