TV network GMA and WBR Entertainment Productions announced yesterday that one person died while another was injured due to an accident that occurred during the taping of game show Wowowin, a program which both companies produce.
According to the statement that appeared on GMA News Online, a security marshal saw two women, identified as Milagros Espiritu and Estrella Bognot, lose their balance when they were singing and dancing on the studio’s bleachers during the opening act of the show, which was taped on Tuesday. The show is shot at GMA’s studio in Quezon City.
Espiritu suffered a fracture from the fall while Bognot’s head hit a fire extinguisher. An in-house paramedic was said to have attended to both women. The two were brought to the nearby Delgado Hospital but Bognot eventually died from the accident.
In a phone interview with Coconuts Manila, a nurse who attended to Bognot said the woman died at the hospital due to a severe head injury and respiratory failure caused by the fall. Espiritu meanwhile was transferred to another hospital because an orthopedic surgeon had to see to her injuries. Delgado Hospital didn’t have an orthopedic surgeon on site.
The nurse requested to stay anonymous.
“WBR Entertainment and GMA Network deeply commiserate with, and extended immediate assistance to, the families and loved ones of the victims,” the statement said.
Game shows and variety shows are popular among Filipinos because they dole out cash prizes and thrive on drama. Aside from giving money to the audience, for example, Wowowin host Willie Revillame is also known for asking them about their personal problems and encouraging them to talk about it on-air.
Another GMA show, Eat Bulaga, also uses the same formula.
This is not the first time one of Revillame’s shows resulted in a fatality. He used to host another game show titled Wowowee in ABS-CBN, which like Wowowin, became famous for giving generous prizes to its audience.
It was very popular but in 2006, a stampede occurred before the show’s anniversary celebration at the PhilSports Stadium in Pasig City. Thousands of people, some of whom camped outside the arena for days, became agitated and trampled on each other in their rush to enter the stadium.
According to the BBC, 73 people died in the stampede while 300 were injured.
