Victims, kin mark 4th anniversary of Ultra Stampede

Survivors and families of those who perished in the 2006 Ultra Stampede gathered Thursday at the site of the tragic event in Pasig City to mark its fourth anniversary. Those present held a prayer vigil and lit candles for the 71 people, mostly middle aged and elderly women, who died in the tragic incident. A makeshift cross and coffin were also displayed to symbolize their quest for justice. Some were seen crying. The protesters were expected to troop to the Pasig Regional Trial Court to express their dismay over the slow pace of their pending cases, according to a report by GMA News' John Consulta. Members of the anti-crime group Volunteers against Crime and Corruption (VACC) were also in attendance.

Most of the victims were crushed to death when a crowd of more or less 30,000 gathered outside the PhilSports Arena (formerly Ultra) went out of control on Feb. 4, 2006. The people were fans of ABS-CBN’s popular noontime show “Wowowee" who had camped out for days in front of the arena hoping to get into the program’s first anniversary celebration where cash and major prizes were to be given away. The organizers said only the first 17,000 would be accommodated in the arena, prompting the crowd to scramble when the steel gates were opened, trampling 71 people to death and injuring more than 400. A class suit was filed against ABS-CBN by the victims. The network had tried to block the investigation by the Department of Justice for two years, but in January 2008, the Supreme Court ruled with finality to junk company’s motion to dismiss the probe. On Wednesday, VACC chairman Dante Jimenez led a protest in front of the SC to push for the early resolution of the pending cases. Outgoing Chief Justice Reynato Puno assured them of the court’s cooperation. - KBK/RSJ, GMANews.TV