Something terrible happened, he was told by Vice President Noli de Castro from his booth at the dzMM radio station. "There was a stampede and many were killed, several others were injured."
Willie expected to party yesterday but he ended up going from one funeral parlor to another and visiting the injured in various hospitals across Metro Manila.
At least 73 people were listed dead and more than 300 wounded when a throng of an estimated 30,000 people, many of them coming from the provinces, surged forward when the gate of the Philsports Arena, formerly Ultra in Pasig City, was opened at around 6:30 a.m., scrambling over one another and trampling those in front to death. The victims were mostly the elderly and children.
They came to watch the first-anniversary presentation of the popular ABS-CBN gameshow "Wowowee" at the Ultra, hosted by Willie, and many of them started lining up since Wednesday, hoping to get into the venue and to be chosen for any of the show’s contests (Bigat 10, Pera o Bayong, etc.) with lots of prizes at stake, including P2 million in cash, two houses and lots, two passengers jeepneys and dollars donated by balikbayans who have made "Wowowee" a "tourist destination."
The capacity of the ULTRA is only 9,000 so trying to accommodate the 15,000-plus that showed up was a security nightmare.
"During the past three days," Willie told The STAR, "I’ve been inspecting the stage because I wanted everybody not only to win prizes but to have a party. I wanted to make sure that the stage was safe."
Then came Vice President Noli’s urgent phone call.
"I was shocked," said Willie, choked with emotion. "Nobody wanted it to happen. My only wish was for the ‘Wowowee’ followers to be happy but look what happened."
Dressing up in a rush, Willie went to the Ultra and saw the bodies of the victims spread out on a sidestreet.
"I couldn’t believe it," he said. "We had prepared for the event and everything ended up like this."
ABS-CBN management decided to cancel the show and spend the prize money for the victims’ funeral and the survivors’ medical expenses. There was no word when the show will resume telecast.
"I plan to be with the victims’ families and with the survivors the whole week," added Willie who was appointed "Tourism Ambassador" last week by Tourism Secretary Ace Durano who realized the show’s potential as a "tourist attraction" for overseas Filipinos coming home for a visit. "I can’t tell yet when the show will go ‘live’."
Besides the donation from ABS-CBN and from the public, Willie said that he’ll help the victims’ families and survivors with his own money.
Here’s the official statement of the ABS-CBN management: "We deeply regret the very unfortunate incident that happened at the ULTRA as thousands of people flocked to watch the first-anniversary celebration of Wowowee. We sympathize with the families and loved ones of the victims and grieve over the loss of lives. We assure the public that we will do everything to provide assistance and support to those affected."