No need for House to probe Ultra stampede
Iloilo City Representative Raul Gonzalez, Jr. said there is no need for the House of Representatives to conduct a congressional inquiry on the ULTRA stampede which killed some 74 people.
Gonzalez foresees a "grandstanding" among the members of the Lower House should they conduct an investigation in aid of legislation on the criminal and civil liabilities of ABS-CBN and other groups who have something to do with the show.
"We could not legislate laws should we focus our attention on the stampede incident," he said.
He said the House of Representatives should leave the matter to the task force chaired by Interior Undersecretary Marius Corpus. The result of the task force investigation was also referred to the solon's father, Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez, Sr.
Earlier, the secretary said the producers may be charged with reckless imprudence resulting to homicide.
The huge crowd early morning Saturday (February 4) had surged towards the main entrance of the stadium, destroyed the metal gate of the Ultra and trampled one another leaving 74 people dead and 400 people injured.
Gonzalez explained that the liability on the incident should not be pinpointed alone to the television network, the producer of the show Wowowee but also to the law enforcers and the spectators themselves.
There was lack of coordination among the organizers and the law enforcers, the solon observed. They could not just take for granted their responsibility for such a large crowd. However, the people who trooped to watch the show and became unruly are also "contributory factor" which caused the stampede, he said.
Gonzalez also rejected the claim of the opposition blaming the Arroyo administration for the stampede. The political opposition said the tragedy was a reflection of extreme poverty in the country.
Gonzalez said the tragedy was brought out by "a crowd control problem."