The Wowowee Disaster

I'm terribly disappointed at what happened.

For those of my readers who aren't in the know, a terrible tragedy occurred last Saturday, February 4, 2006, at my home country in Manila, Philippines. At least 70 people died, and at least 200 injured.

It wasn't a typhoon, flooding, hurricane, tornado, earthquake or even a terrorist bombing that caused all these casualties. It would've been easier to swallow that way. In some sense, it would've been better if those were the reasons for all these casualties. But its not: It was because people were STAMPEDED TO DEATH trying to enter a popular noontime game show, called Wowowee, that was offering more than its usual number of prizes because during that day - Saturday - it was the tv show's first year anniversary.

I don't know about you, but it pisses the heck out of me. Why?

The venue was reportedly able to contain 17,000 people. Counted, at most 30,000 people showed up. Many of them were already in line and camping out several days before the event. Couldn't the network people even tell or make projections based on that? These people lining up are probably the same ones who would wait outside a house won by a contestant in a "reality" based show a few months back called Big Brother from (I believe) the same tv network.. I had the chance to pass by the house the last time I went back to the Philippines, and a lot of people were waiting just to get a glimpse of the winning contestant. I mean, just a glimpse. These are people who live their lives entertained by tv shows. And to think that these same people will be victims of other people's irresponsibility is irritating me to the bone at the moment.

For one thing, the network people should be more responsible with these things. The educated people are fully aware that the economic standing of the country is not as good, and the people are jobless, or not earning enough money to satisfy their daily necessities. Petty violence and crime are rampant due to this. From the time I've left the country, the cheapest Mcdonalds meal cost an estimated 20 pesos, and now, 4-5 years after, I come back to discover that the same meal will range at an estimated 60 pesos. I'm not quite certain about the minimum wage, but I doubt that it has increased enough to support the inflation rate. The middle and higher class have an extremely large gap between them, and growing, and the masses are merely enjoying the simple things like watching television shows to alleviate their financial worries.

Give them a chance to become millionaires, and they will bite, no doubt about it.

The higher ups cannot fault these people being participants in a stampede - it is to an event that would give away money and a possibility of a new, short lived life of being outside of poverty, after all. Higher ups can't fault them, saying that it should be obvious that people line up properly otherwise a stampede will occur. A lot of these people could never have the same experience and education that a small percentage of us have had - a good education, a very comfortable upbringing, a worry free life - and its something that the small percentage of educated people should take responsible for. That is what my education and university taught me.. to be a man for others. To help out when you can, take care of those who possibly don't have the capacity of taking care of themselves. Teach them to fish, instead of giving them the fish. And if they're not ready to learn that, then at least give them a chance to live, and hopefully, in the future, they will be more willing and receptive to learn...

But no. I'm sickened by the thought that a tragedy like this could happen. I'm severely pissed at the network that was holding and organizing the tv show for not looking far enough to expect something like this. The network was one of the two front runners in local television... No doubt about it, they DO have the money. I'm sure they are all well educated, otherwise they wouldn't be in their jobs in the first place, and frankly, they didn't do their jobs as well as I've liked. They should be responsible for their actions - they ARE toying with the masses, with their various noontime shows and gossip columns. They know their market, they know how these people react, they probably spent quite a number of money researching on the finer points of their viewers psyche to make a show successful.. but couldn't they have at least used that same research to at least predict that a large number of people will turn up, and prepared for contingency for this?

I was willing to let go of the fact that I would see throngs of yuppies and well off people at local popular malls drinking and sipping their branded Starbucks - I would also enjoy this myself on occasion. I was willing to see that people would spend large amounts of money having a nice overpriced dinner at one of the many popular business districts, despite still being aware that the country's state is worsening every year. I was willing to look the other way when I see all the corruption reports I read in the local newspapers.

But I was not willing to see that these same people could be enjoying all the luxuries they earned, and yet they were not properly doing their jobs and effecting the other less well off people and at the cost of human lives.

When I go about Hong Kong, thinking of spending a bit more money than usual, I always do a double take nowadays. Do you know what holds me back? It was the thought of buying a cup of overpriced Starbucks, or purchasing a fancy looking coat, or attending a big concert by Oasis(I'm a big fan, and I like them a lot) for my own satisfaction... and yet there are families and people out there in Africa dying because of hunger, people being taken advantage of because they didn't have education, young kids in war torn countries that don't have enough government support and are kidnapped by rebels and be forced to kill their own relatives. I stop and think about what I spend things on, if I can help it. I'd rather set aside the same money to donate to charity than spend it on myself. I stop before I buy, and yes, I didn't buy any tickets to the Oasis concert, even though I'm a big fan. I'm first to admit that I'm not a religious monk or an angel; I do still splurge. But first and foremost, if I can, I always try keep a check in my head before I buy something. I refuse to become blind to other tragedies the rest of the world are desperately coping with, battling for their lives, and who are vastly incomparably worse state than I am - never mind I have big credit card bills to pay, dont you think?

Don't turn your back on what you can do. If this event were a catastrophe, and a natural disaster, it would be fine. There are things that are out of our hands.

But this is a human tragedy, and its as inexcusable as killing your own parents who loved you from the day you were in the womb.

Shame on you people. You should know better. You frustrate the hell out of me.