the rushing and screaming crowd was enough to send us to a panic. my son, miguel, and i were shopping for gifts in the computer stores (in the third floor of sm fairview mall in quezon city) and were about to go to another store near the moviehouses when we were stopped by the running crowd of men, women and children.

we saw some kids and teen-agers hitting the floor as they scrambled towards the stairs. we asked some of the people what was going on but all we got were frightened stares and endless screams.

we saw people squeezing themselves in the tight escalators. stores immediately rolled down their doors, locking in some customers.

we were lucky to find the fire exit. i asked the lady guard why the people were running. she said that there's fire somewhere in the entrance near regalado avenue.

immediately, the paging system of sm announced that everything is under control. I couldn't see smoke or anybody who might be firing on people so we decided to go back. we had to since we left our take-out food in our favorite thai restaurant (and i already paid for it). and miguel really wanted to buy a gift for their Christmas party.

when we came back, we saw some women crying. apparently, they lost their children while they were rushing for the exit. i hope that they were able to find their kids yesterday.

it is really important to stay calm at such events - for our own safety. go to the nearest exit without pushing other people or screaming.

(note: this happened on december 9, 2007 around 7:30 pm)