randy david had said it in an interview, "mass media should be party be blame for what had happened. they have been exploiting the situation of the people."
Whether media is to be blamed or not isn't really the thing we must focus on. People have died because a certain game show has promised them a slice of heaven if they will come and watch its performance live. A real, solid plan for crowd control was sorely lacking and (sadly) it's the fault of the event's organizers. Media may have contributed to the build-up of tension before, during and after the tragedy, but they are not the main culprits in this unfortunate incident. I'm no great fan of irresponsible media myself, but let us identify first who is the biggest contributor to this event.
i believe it, too! wowowee may have all the good intentions in mind i.e. helping to "alleviate" the conditions of the poor but exploitation is definitely on the other other side of the coin. they have overlooked that part.
As they say, "The road to heaven (or was it hell?) is often paved with good intentions".
I have always believed from the start that Wowowwee's premise is flawed. The show gives away money to (needy) people in order to rake-in huge rating points. It is not new that ABS-CBN bigwigs have resorted to such tactics. If you still recall then, Boyet de Leon's Who wants to be a millionaire? game show has been a consistent top rater though it was being shown by a run-of-the-mill (pardon my expression) TV network. ABS came up with (that idiotic show) GAME KNB?, hosted by no less than you know who. Game KNB's premise is the same, offer much higher prizes to mostly poor folks by just answering super easy questions. Of course, the show became an instant hit, toppled WBAM and up til today is raking huge ratings points using more or less the same formula, with celebrities as contestants to boot.
Wowoweee (did I spell it right?), is no different. After losing consistently to the Kapuso channel's noontime show for such a long period now, it employed the same offer-stupendously-huge-prizes sheme just to get noticed. And predictably, people (especially the poor) have began to pay attention. There's no business really like show business. And wowowwee exploited this to the hilt. It has huge prizes, packs in big audience every show date and the STAR power of ABS-CBN. Those who have been watching the show consistently can't help but hope that someday they too may win the stupendously big prizes being offered to common folks like them. If you offer a poor person food and money just to watch u perform live (no matter how boringly stupid your performance maybe) what will you expect? Chances are that person will applaud you everytime you make a jig, dish out whatever lame joke you can hold of, or worst have the delusion that you can actually belt out a note or two. For poor folks, being eligible to win those big prizes being offered is worth the effort of applauding (even glorifying) every moronic action that their supposed benefactor performs for them. And for what? Poor folk just want to survive. And that, in my opinion, is what Wowwowwee has ingenuiosly preyed upon.
ABS media power has made sure that this (get rich quick) promise will be viewed by all common folks all over the country. It made no qualms in giving away millions just to solidify the illusion that anyone loyal enough to watch the show live stands to win huge amounts of prizes. More viewers means more ratings, more ratings mean more commercials, more commercials mean more MONEY for the network!!! It's just like spending a million pesos but getting five million pesos in return, that exactly is what Wowowee is bringing to ABS-CBN. ABS bosses have made sure that the show continually give away huge prizes to common folk while airing it live for all to see. ABS has been preying on common folk's vulnerabilities, they drive it hard to common folk's psyche that Wowwowee is the answer to their financial problems, that in order to win big they should watch the show live. An that, common folks did. And what happened next, is TRAGEDY.
When will ABS ever learn? How many more lives have to be sacrificed just to pacify it's greed for ratings leadership and money?
Now, they are in serious damage control. ABS offered to pay for the hospitalization, burial, etc. of each victim and compensate the departed's families as well. But how do they do it?? Why does the ABS foundation(s) do it, why not ABS the media company itself compensate the victims? Is it because whatever amount that the ABS foundation will incur in compensating (and pacyfying?) the victms' families can be deducted from it's tax liabilities because it's foundation(s) have shelled out the money? If so, then ABS is guilty of another sin - HYPOCRISY!!! Saying it is sorry and yet finding a way to decrease whatever taxes is due to government by using its foundation(s) as tool. I surely hope I am wrong for the sake of ABS-CBN. And they should really pray hard too that no opportunistic lawyer will try to convince the victims' families to file a class suit against them for negligence. It won't take a glib lawyer to convince people that there is more money to be earned by filing a case against this network, potential payment for damages could run into the hundreds of millions. Enough money for every loyal watcher of Wowwowwweee to partake off just to make their million peso dreams come true.
Really?!! When will ABS-CBN ever learn??