CEBU — Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, who also serves as Cebu provincial jailer, has turned down an offer for the global sensation Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC)’s dancing inmates to appear in a detergent commercial, because she does not want them to be commercialized.

“The dancing inmates should not be used for commercial purposes to preserve the nobility of this world phenomenon,” said Garcia, referring to the international fame that the inmates of the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC) are now enjoying.

Garcia confirmed that a detergent company has offered to pay P250,000 to the CPDRC for the inmates to appear in a commercial. She, however, clarified that the offer was not directly offered to her brother, Capitol Security consultant, Byron Garcia, who is responsible for putting the dancing inmates on the spotlight.

The Governor said Procter and Gamble, makers of the detergent Mr. Clean, asked her permission if they could feature the inmates in a commercial.

“I have to take responsibilities in all activities inside the jail. I don't want to be caught flat-footed here. They can't be used by any commercial company. I had to turn down the offer because the nobleness of what we have achieved here may be gone,” Garcia said.

Garcia denied issuing a memorandum barring her brother from talking with media about the CPDRC’s internal operations. But she said she has issued an order requiring everyone related with the CPDRC to have her written approval before they could discuss such matters with the media.

The CPDRC’s inmates achieved global fame after Byron uploaded on video sharing website YouTube their dance moves which are part of the prisoners’ daily exercise regimen inside the new CPDRC.

Their dance rendition of Michael Jackson’s hit song “Thriller” catapulted them to global attention, gaining as it did over 25 million hits on YouTube, making it one of the top 10 most viewed video online.

Very recently, the dancing inmates got a surprise visit from the King of Pop’s official choreographer.