ULTRA Stampede

MANILA, Philippines – At the gates where so many dreams were crushed, survivors of the 2006 stampede at the Philsports Arena (formerly Ultra) Wednesday lit candles for the souls of the 73 who died in the tragedy three years ago.

The activity was their way of marking the anniversary of the “Ultra stampede” in which dozens of people, mostly middle-aged and elderly women, died when a huge crowd lining up to get inside the arena for the anniversary show of ABS-CBN’s noontime show “Wowowee” rushed toward the gates.

“It’s been three years but the anger and the anguish remain. It’s not something you can easily forget,” said Rizal Javierto, who lost his 81-year-old mother Virginia and 53-year-old sister Josephine Barra to the stampede.

The survivors and members of the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption prayed and placed white roses at the Ultra gates, along with photos of the victims and messages crying for justice.

VACC Chair Dante Jimenez, however, had disquieting news for the 25 people who gathered outside the Ultra in Pasig City.

He said a Pasig Regional Trial Court judge had dismissed the case of reckless imprudence resulting in multiple homicides and multiple physical injuries against ABS-CBN executives, including its president Charo Santos-Concio.

Judge Agnes Reyes Carpio of Branch 261, in a Dec. 2 decision, dismissed the complaint against Concio; Ma. Socorro Vidanes, ABS-CBN’s managing director for TV production; engineer Jesus Belardo, Ultra building administrator; and Erlinda Reis, booking and events coordinator.

For the rest of the accused, however, the court suspended the proceedings pending the completion of the Department of Justice’s probe into the possible liability of other public officials in the case, according to the 12-page order, a copy of which Jimenez showed the Inquirer.

He said he hoped justice could still be served in the ongoing court case if only to show that justice could still be achieved even by the poorest of the poor.