Entertainment’s quick shots

The unfortunate disaster last weekend of the first anniversary celebration of ABS-CBN’s noontime show Wowowee painted a grim picture of two things.

One is the abject poverty gripping this entire nation of 85 million as demonstrated by the throngs of people who braved the long commute from the province, some with not even enough money to return home, hunger pangs and thirst, even rain and scorching heat.

These people reportedly even controlled their bowel movements for days and peed where they sat (or stood) as they camped outside the gates of Philsports Arena (formerly Ultra) for a shot at even a minor prize (P10,000) so as not to lose their place in the queue.

Then there is the fierce desire of the network producing this mad extravaganza to grab higher ratings and finally overtake the competition; because from there on, the station could lure more advertisers; and more advertisers mean more revenues and more profits.

There is little that most of us can do about poverty, being such a tenacious social ill that continues to grip our nation. We may all in our own little way help ease this malady, but the process of totally obliterating it will be long and arduous especially as our government is saddled by huge debts and corruption.

Rare shot

The other aspect in this tragic incident falls very much within the control of ABS-CBN, producer of Wowowee. It was their event, their one rare shot to steal the rating leadership from their rival station’s longest-running noontime show, and hopefully start hitting the jackpot on a more consistent basis from there.

ABS-CBN clearly fumbled in this case, spoiling a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to pull one over its competitor.

So this is where the network rating war has brought us. Let’s face it; we are just numbers to those networks vying to get a piece of the action. In their race for the ratings, they conveniently forget there are always people behind the statistics. Now 74 of them are dead, and more than 400 are injured.

If you think about it, what good has the network wars done for us? Well, they have dished out some good programs, but a lot of nonsense ones too, all aimed at grabbing the top spot in rating and the biggest share in advertising money.

Shot preparations and delayed compassion

ABS-CBN knew the crowd would swell to 30,000 people. Its Jan. 17 letter to Pasig City Mayor Vicente Eusebio said so. It sought police assistance from the mayor’s office, the Traffic and Parking Management office, and Barangay Orambo office where Ultra is located.

Beyond this letter, there was nothing in ABS-CBN’s logistical preparations that showed it prepared for the number of people expected. Just before the deathly rush happened, ABS-CBN already knew how big the crowd was. Being a veteran network with experience in handling big media events, could it not have devised a better system to determine who among those in the restless crowd would be eligible to join the games?

Then there is the issue of compassion, one that ABS-CBN insists on projecting when dealing now with the victims. Yet where was compassion during the days running to the anniversary show, when people were literally living on the streets?

There was no single portalet outside the gates where the crowd had camped out since Monday. Willy Revillame said he was checking on the crowd everyday to see how they were doing. Did he not see the inconveniences that the poor folks were facing?

There were reports that some of those who died were dehydrated and had no strength to fight their way out of the wave of attacking mob. True, feeding those people is not ABS-CBN’s obligations: They came on their own and nobody forced them to come. But when dangled with cash as bait, did you not think the starving fish (or dogs, according to the head of the investigating team Task Force Ultra) would not bite?

Of course when we think about it, the Philippines has seen much, much bigger crowds than that at Wowowee. The feast of the Nazarene held in Quiapo every January invites tens of thousands. So do El Shaddai gatherings in Roxas Blvd. Ninoy Aquino’s funeral or the visit of the Pope also generated huge numbers, far more than that at the Ultra massacre.

The difference? None of these other events lured the crowd with any jackpot or easy money to grab. Clearly, logic and compassion fled the coop as soon as the cash register started ringing.

Kudos to Casino Filipino Angeles

The tournament at Casino Filipino Angeles held last Saturday, 4th February 2006, attracted 93 participants, majority of whom were local or nearby residents. This is indeed a tribute to the promotion efforts undertaken by the Casino management and marketing staff headed by branch manager Alex Ozaeta. The tournament director, Demetrio Santos, also did a splendid job in keeping the tournament play smooth and conflict-free. And, of course, the dealers kept the table activities well-controlled, a tribute to the extensive training undertaken by chief trainor, Dennis Dacanay and his team.

The successful launching of the biggest poker tournament at Angeles City also proved right the view of Rafael "Butch" Francisco, COO of Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor), that non-wager poker tournaments will attract additional patrons who, otherwise, would not go to the Casino. The Casino now becomes their favored place, not only for traditional casino games, but also for social and skills competitions.

Federico "Cuy-cuy" Makabenta emerged as the champion after more than six hours of intense competition. Apart from the cash prizes awarded by Casino Filipino Angeles, Makabenta earned a seat to the Main Event of Philippine Poker Tour (PPT) Million-Peso Hold’em Philippine Championship to be held on the 8th and 9th of April 2006 at Airport Casino Filipino Paranaque.

For more details about the Philippine Poker Tour (PPT) Million-Peso Hold’em Philippine Championship, visit www.PhilippinePokerTour.com or call the Secretariat (c/o Cindy) at 817-9092 or 812-0153.

Should you wish to share any insights, write me at Link Edge, 4th Floor, 156 Valero Street, Salcedo Village, 1227 Makati City. Or e-mail me at [email protected] or at [email protected]. If you wish to view the previous columns, you may visit my website at http://bizlinks.linkedge.biz .