(SOURCE: CBS NEWS, 4 February 2006)

Last Saturday (Feb 4), seventy-four people, most of them elderly women, were killed while more than 200 others were injured when a stampede marred the first anniversary of the ABS-CBN noontime television game show "Wowowee" at the Philippine Sports Commission stadium in Pasig City, Philippines.

According to Philippine Daily Inquirer, it was an "ultra tragedy".

The stampede is a tragedy, and a deeply disturbing one. The victims were innocents, simple folk who waited in line, perhaps even since Wednesday, for the chance to win perhaps P300 (RM21.70), or perhaps P10,000 (RM723.27), or perhaps, for the truly lucky one, a house and lot worth P2.5 million (RM180,760.90).

Did any of them imagine that in their attempt to realize their dreams, they would end up dying from a nightmare? The dreams must have been modest: cash to tide one over until the next day, money to pay debts off, a chance to start a small business, a house to call one’s own.

Militant groups blamed President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and her anti-people policies, in which she promised to punish the responsible party.

Four officials of ABS-CBN were recommended criminal charges by the investigation committee, with chairman of the media giant  vowed to take full responsibility but putting aside a statement by the report that the crowd were treated "like animals".

Are we Malaysians are smart enough to learn one or two lessons out of this disaster?

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