Lawmaker: Number of Jam Step participants accurate

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

BACOLOD City Representative Anthony Golez defended Monday the accuracy of the 87,700 number of participants in an aerobic dance event at the runway of the old Bacolod airport last Sunday.

Golez and the Batang Pinoy Movement, the event organizers, claimed they succeeded in exceeding and even doubling their target number of 42,000 participants for the 2.12.12. Jam Step event.

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Bacolod Councilor Homer Bais undermined the accuracy of the figure and said organizers should prove that indeed the total participants of the Jam Step reached 87,700.

“If they don’t believe in the students who did the counting, then whom will they believe in? Those who questioned that might have suffered psychologically when they were still children because they will not believe in children,” Golez said.

Organizers reported an attendance of 87,700 students and physical fitness advocates who danced for 30 minutes, occupying almost entire the 1,300-meter runway of the old airport.

“Nobody has the good vantage view of the entire length of the Jam Step participants. But there was a chopper, which was commissioned to get an aerial view of the whole thing. The video will speak for itself, insofar as the number of participants is concerned,” the lawmaker said.

Golez also said the organizers also employed more or less 400 to 500 “clickers” composed of ROTC students of West Negros University and John B. Lacson Colleges Foundation who conducted the head count of the participants.

The clickers submitted the result to the official tabulators who also counted the official result of the Jam Step participants.

Golez said he thanked all those who supported Jam Step, including those who criticized it, as he claimed they were equally helpful in making the event a success.

Meanwhile, Bais dared Golez to return the proceeds of the event to the children who joined the activity.

Instead of using the funds to put up a Bacolod Disaster Preparedness Center and to produce Disaster Kits and Survival Manuals to be distributed to the people of Bacolod City, Bais challenged Golez to allow the kids to directly benefit from the money they raised.

“I challenge him to return the proceeds of the event to the children who worked for it. The money was raised through the efforts of the students and I believe it is appropriate that he returns it to the children and their schools since we lack classrooms and some schools need repair,” Bais said.

“Since it is the children who worked hard to raise the funds, I feel it is inappropriate that the money be used to put up a disaster center. That function is delegated to the mayor and governor of a local government unit based on R.A. 10121 or the Disaster Act of the Philippines, an Executive Order issued by the President and a memorandum circular issued by the Interior and Local Government Secretary,” he added.

The next Jam Step Philippines will be held in Bacolod City on July 20, 2012 with the support of the Department of Health.