The culture of
an empty dream

So many agreed with us on our column yesterday lamenting the stampede as a travesty of our time.

That 74 died and nearly 600 were injured should be an eye opener for all of us and the economic condition in the country that, because of their grinding poverty, people were willing to risk life and limb just for the possibility of winning money that can ease the hard life.

It is the culture of an empty dream.

And many who were there were even impervious, unmindful of the many people who died. They stayed up to 1:30 p.m. hoping the show would go on.

This poverty-stricken group found the prizes so tempting that it was their hope for getting out of the clutches of poverty. That, to them, it was worth risking their lives: an empty dream.

Very sad indeed!

And what is the cause? Poverty in the country where people can not find jobs. Where even farming is no longer profitable. Where the only way is to go abroad to do menial jobs. But no money to spend even for the papers.

People clutch at dreams - lotto, jueteng, and all forms of gambling.

* * *

I hope the tragedy awakens us all to the reality that this country is having problems.

I hope the tragedy awakens us too to the reality that the voters must be educated. And that our officials must accept accountability.

Many of our officials are stealing hundreds of millions and the way it looks, they cannot be prosecuted because they are beyond the reach of the law.

* * *

After this tragedy the show follows. There are statements of sympathy, racing to get media mileage out of the tragedy. Some will even ask for investigations. Others will volunteer to prosecute. All in the name of media mileage.

They should have realized all these were caused by a government that has not given these people the support.

But, as I said, I can see that something good can come out of this. During the tragedy, there were many people who volunteered help. Doctors, nurses, attendants. Private individuals pitching in their share to bring the injured to the hospital, giving some amounts for the medicine. All in the name of charity without expecting reward and recognition.

* * *

In our campaign against poverty the Ultra Stampede can be used as a battle cry. Let us eradicate graft and corruption. Let our people work hard. Let everybody produce.

Make government officials answerable for their faults. Let everybody be vigilant in monitoring how government spends our money.

Jail the scalawags. Drive the rascals out of office.

Let the elected officials be answerable to the people who elected them. Let Senators and Congressman report to their constituents where they spent their pork barrel. In the past our lawmakers were made to put up billboards for every project they had with the description of the project and the amount spent.

Why was this stopped? And why did our people not ask for it?

I just reiterate my hope the Ultra Stampede can result into something positive.

* * *

The beating up of seven Bacolod NBI agents in Negros Oriental shows lack of coordination among our law enforcers.

I just hope there is nothing deeper than the miscommunication.

What I know all these years is that, law enforcers, be they police, PC, or the Army, the NBI or the CIDG, have their own turfs. In that turf they have some protected clients.

The case at issue is a quarrel between two Koreans. One protected by the Negros Oriental police and the other being helped by the NBI.

* * *

It was February 1986 or 20 years ago. Then Police Chief Col. Fred Geolingo was ambushed near what is now Bac-Up 6 by a group of armed men reported to be NPA but many knew it was not NPA.

I knew because Geolingo was a close friend. This started when a new provincial commander was assigned here bringing along his men who raided gambling joints.

It turned out these gambling joints were also protected by the police. And in one of the raids, there was a near-shootout. The provincial commander was angered and scolded Geolingo who dared him to come to the police. He did not.

A few days after on Feb. 25 when Ferdinand Marcos flew out, at 2 p.m. on his way to his office, Geolingo was ambushed.

Succeeding provincial commanders who brought their own men here and started casing places protected by the police also met problems.

I don't know what were the true facts of the Pamplona incident. But soon, the truth will come out. Who was protecting whom?*

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