#RaveResponsibly: Save Yourself the Trouble!

Music is universal. It transcends to all ages. Like love and food, music is a staple in our life. Hence, gigs, concerts, shows for a cause, etc are a big deal here in the Philippines. But just recently, a supposed happy event turned into a tragedy.

the event's poster

On May 21, 2016, Saturday, Close Up "Forever Summer" officially kicked off. In the wee hours of May 22, Sunday, five people were rushed to the hospital including an American national. They were found unconscious. Their ages range from 18-33 years old. They did not know each other and were on different locations at the time. Not long after, news broke out that four of the five attendees died while the other one remained unconscious.

Then, speculations of the cause of their death spread like wildfire through various social media. Allegedly, they consumed drinks laced with drugs. Social media was abuzz over the incident as there were a lot of questions yet to be answered. Later, the remaining attendee succumbed to death. It was a tragedy. Most of them were still young. Politicians, celebrities, public figures and even the average Juans expressed their sympathy, disappointment and ire over the incident. There were a lot of pointing fingers to the organizers, to the security, to the party-goers and even to the victims themselves. The event organizers extended their condolences to the bereaved families and promised to coordinate with the authorities in line with the ongoing investigations.

Close up's official statement from their official instagram account

 

By Monday, May 23, 2016, the National Bureau of Investigation said that the cause of death was heart attack due to high blood pressure. Furthermore, they had kidney failure and suffered dehydration. All of which were indicative of drug overdose. The police encouraged the concert-goers to share their experience of the rave party to shed some light to what really happened. But none were coming out, too afraid to be judged that they had anything to do with drugs. Yet despite their silence, the issue wasn't going away. 

A few days after the incident, the suspected drug dealers were nabbed. The investigation continued and the media kept the public up to date. Family and friends of the deceased then started sharing their two cents about the tragedy through interviews; while some of the event-goers posted their account of what transpired in their social media like Alma Concepcion.

To date, suspects are identified and are taken into custody and eyewitnesses' accounts are compiled and verified. The incident is far from being wrapped up. But the real fight against drugs has started. With the new president-elect, whom we all know detests drugs to the letter, it is my hope that this tragedy would not happen again. The fight would  be long and grueling. But in the interim, you and I should know our limits as well as the repercussions of our actions. Save yourself the trouble.

Work hard and party hard, they say; whilst some would shout YOLO, which is definitely true, you only live once, so seek the things that are meaningful, please don't do drugs and don't let your life be taken away from you just like that!- K.A