On Catastrophe (Ultra)

This was originally posted as comment in Migs' blog (http://migs.wordpress.com)

"I’m also sure that we have learned something from this incident.. But the question is, are we putting in to practice what we have learned? YES… but for how long?"

This is a good question. I've always believed in the saying "history repeats itself," but only in the right context. That is: "If humanity doesn't learn, then history is bound to repeat itself."

Personally, I believe that this was a result of three main causes: security plan, discipline, and government.

Yes, there was a security lapse. 200+ security men and women may have been deployed but that's not enough... not when you're talking about a 30,000 strong crowd. ABS-CBN, Ultra, and the PNP are now pointing fingers at each other, blaming each other for the mishap. But the reality of it is that all of them are answerable for the disaster. The ABS-CBN and Ultra people already knew early on that the number of people coming to the event was growing exponentially each day. They should have created a contingency plan to cover possible scenarios. A stampede is not unexpected when people that many converge in a very limited space. There's where their irresponsibility lies. On the side of PNP, they say that the organizers did not coordinate with them. That doesn't strip them of the fact that as law enforcers they should have had enough initiative (and common sense) to check ABS-CBN for their crowd control plans.

As was stated in the blog, the people themselves are also party to the cause of disaster. Discipline amongst the crowd would have prevented the disaster from happening in the first place. If the gates weren't mounted and people weren't pushing against each other, there wouldn't have been a stampede. The road may not have been paved well, but if the people were being ushered in or at least taking care by not running, they would not have stumbled. Discipline should have ruled, but it did not.

What did rule, however, is poverty... and hope. This is where the government fails. If at one point in time, they stopped politicking, even for one day and concentrated on economic policies (without vested interests, that is), then the people wouldn't have been in the area. If the people were living comfortable lives then there would have been a great reduction to the number of people that went to Ultra. If the government had a very strong labor program then wowowee and the kind of mendicant entertainment it spurns shouldn't have existed in the first place. The lack of these strong policies and programs is the main reason why the Philippines continue to thrive in strife. This is the reason why the people would risk their lives to get a chance even at consolation prizes from the show.

I just hope that this event will really be inculcated in the public's mind. I hope that we really have learned.

But I highly doubt it.

Just look at EDSA.