With 11 dead, dozens wounded, hundreds more eyewitnesses or in the vicinity, the explosion at Glorietta 2 in Makati City is a tragedy that has deeply shocked the nation. There but for the grace of God, go we, must be the thought in many a person’s mind.
The past is now. Perhaps it’s the part of me that constantly refers to the past, to make sense of the present, that draws me at this time, to the eyewitness accounts being published online. The point when eyewitnesses bear witness to what they saw, where testimony makes the transition from an oral story to one written down, and thus, becomes a story that can enter history, is the point where journalism and history connect. Or perhaps it’s the need to keep the tragedy on a human scale.
A tragedy also results in questions being asked. And tough questions need to be asked. Not later, but now. To postpone them out of a misplaced sense of compassion for the victims will do more harm than good in the long run.
In the TV show “CSI,” a famous line comes from the character Gil Grissom to fellow character Warrick Brown: “Concentrate on what cannot lie. The evidence.” In another episode, Gil Grissom said, “It’s a scientist’s right to re-examine his theory with each new piece of evidence, Nick.”
So what do we non-scientists do? Essentially, pursue the paths scientists would take, anyway. A few days ago, I gave a talk to high school and college students from the various La Salle schools, and one student asked my opinion on the Glorietta blast. And so, I quoted from CSI.
I told the students that as students, they should try to make sense of what happened, by starting with the realization that there is a lot more we don’t know, than we actually know at this point. The little that we know can be gleaned from three main sources. First, eyewitness accounts. Second, photos and videos showing the damage. Third, what our officials tell us.
At the end of the day, whatever official explanations emerge will have to be convincing to the many eyewitnesses, and match what they’ve related and what the pictures show (an interesting entry, with pictures, is in the “sane psycho” blog, who’s mother is apparently the architect of Luk Yuen; Hueco Mundo says the owner had a close call indeed). Our job as citizens, I told them, is to be unafraid to insist that any explanation given makes sense. I told them that people will of course have preconceived notions or assumptions about what took place, but a sober and thorough investigation -and explanation— should hopefully end up convincing your average, reasonable, person.
And if it doesn’t, ask, ask, ask, until you’re satisfied it all makes sense. The opinions, even instincts, of people who were there, will matter. As will the views of ordinary citizens who try to make sense of the tragedy by comparing official explanations (or theories) with their own personal experience.
Here is what we know.
It happened at 1:40 p.m., after lunch, but way before rush hour. There was an explosion; there was heavy damage; there was panic and in some places, stampedes.
And this is what we know from eyewitness accounts. These eyewitness accounts are everywhere, I spent two days compiling the ones that appeared on line. And some others, too.
What do these eyewitness accounts tell us?
They seem to indicate only a few things:
1. Generally, only people close to the explosion heard it; some heard two explosions.
2. Everyone felt something like a strong earthquake; some felt two jolts.
3. No one seems to have seen flames or a fire.
4. Some described the smoke as smelling like fireworks or New Year’s. No one described smelling chemical fumes.
Next, besides what people recall, there’s what we’ve been able to see, particularly from pictures. What do these photographs tell us?
One dramatic front page photo from last Sunday’s Philippine Daily Inquirer
seems to tell us the blast was strong but also, that it was mainly directed upwards, and not outwards; and if you remember the eyewitness accounts, where only those very close to the blast heard anything, it may be that the explosion itself was muffled by something, perhaps the floor.
And the accounts of those who say they heard two explosions might suggest that after the initial explosion, the second noise was the ground floor giving way, upwards, as the pressure of the blast moved upwards.
A blast on the first floor itself might have dissipated its energy sideways, for example.
But this is just amateur conjecture from me and others. While we wait and see how the Philippine government handles the investigation, one thing troubles me.
When the explosion took place in Glorietta, panic ensued. People stampeded.
I was in a stampede once. It was at a birthday party at a disco several years before the Ozone disaster. The stampede was caused by some idiots deciding to pop balloons in the ceiling with their cigarettes. A sheet of flame burst forth; people screamed, then ran; the human tide was unstoppable, unthinking, and potentially as fatal as the fire itself.
What was worse, was that there was only one exit, which could only be reached down a steep flight of stairs. People ran, and as they ran into each other, the crowd kept compressing and yet moving towards the stairs.
Eventually a friend and I had to squeeze to the side and let people sweep past us, otherwise we would have fallen down the stairs. We finally made it out, frightened and shaken.
A tragedy like Glorietta explosion serves as a reminder that we have to do our best to keep calm in emergency situations.
I’d also like to suggest some lessons that I believe we can pick up, from the eyewitness accounts of those at the blast.
The first is, that we have to keep vigilant for anything suspicious. Don’t be afraid to calmly and quietly inform the authorities if you see anything out of place. It could be a suspicious package, or what you believe might be lax security. Either way, tell the authorities about it.
The second is, to be always be mindful of the exits and places you might have to pass, in case of an emergency.
The third, is that whether you’re with a group of friends on an outing, or at your place of work, you should also have a designated place to meet each other, in case of an emergency, if you get separated. Try to remain there, if it’s safe, until you have a clearer idea of what’s going on.
