Willie Revillame

MANILA, Philippines – TV5 and their talent Willie Revillame have issued an apology over the March 12  "Willing Willie" segment that offended some people for what they deemed the host's "humiliating" and "abusive" treatment on the show of 6-year-old contestant Jan-Jan Estrada.

Recall that the minor was subjected to comments from Willie when the former "performed dance moves usually done by adult dancers in indecent shows." Revillame was quoted as commenting on the routine, thus: “Ganyan ho ang hirap ng buhay ng tao…pinahanga mo ako Jan-Jan. … Ibang klase ka Jan-Jan… (laughs) May luha pa iyan ha… Kaya niya ginagawa ‘yon para sa pamilya.”

In response to the negative feedback, TV5 and Revillame issued a statement that read in part: "We wish to stress that there was never any intention to humiliate or abuse Jan-Jan or any contestant on the show...'Willing Willie is a program that was conceptualized to bring joy and hope and shine the spotlight on ordinary Filipinos...

"Like most contestants on the show, Jan-Jan, accompanied by his aunt, joined the program to showcase his talent and play in a game segment in the hope of bringing home big prizes. He has performed in the past in school programs and mall contests, and his performance in Willing Willie was completely voluntary and with the blessings of his parents."

It also clarified that Jan-Jan was sad and in tears while dancing "not because he was being forced to dance, but because he felt the dance was 'serious' and he was playing a role." It added that the child "did not want to smile because of his missing upper front teeth and because of the presence on the set of former basketball player Bonel Balingit who Jan-Jan thought was a scary 'giant.'"

Prior to the apology, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DWSD) condemned the "emotional abuse" and "humiliation" bestowed on Estrada.

The government agency's official statement released on March 28 read in part: ""The sequence shows the boy gyrating in a distasteful manner with the audience, including the host (Willie Revillame), manifesting no evidence of concern or alarm for the child. This incident is clearly a violation of Republic Act 7610 or the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act and a blatant manifestation of child abuse."

They defined child abuse as one that "includes the following acts: 'psychological and physical abuse, neglect, cruelty, sexual abuse and emotional maltreatment,' and 'any act by deeds or words which debases, degrades or demeans the intrinsic worth and dignity of the child as a human being.'"

They specified that "putting pressure on children to do acts such as mimicking adult sexy dances, in exchange for a certain amount of money, and at the expense of being laughed at and ridiculed by hundreds of people" traumatizes the child.

DSWD head Corazon Juliano Soliman wrote a letter addressed to ABC Development Communication Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan in which she said: "It is unmistakable that what happened...to Jan-Jan Estrada was child abuse...What kind of values are we teaching our children through these shows, especially after Willie Revillame pushed Jan-Jan to do something against his will and then told him that it’s alright because he will receive money in exchange for it?"

She requested that "Young children not be allowed to appear in Willing Willie and other similar shows in the network that cashes in on poverty; and host Willie Revillame be rebuked for his insensitive and deplorable actions."
 
Following the controversy, MTRCB chairperson Mary Grace Poe-Llamanzares issued a briefer.
 
"In accordance with the Board’s duty to enforce the Constitutional mandate that the State shall defend the rights of children from all forms of neglect, abuse, cruelty, exploitation, and other conditions prejudicial to their development, the Board has referred the matter to the Hearing and Adjudication Committee for appropriate disposition," Llamanzares' statement read in part.

Controversy yields PSP  
Meanwhile, Jojo Estrada, the father of Jan-Jan, as tweeted by GMA reporter Pia Faustino, shared how his son used the P10,000 cash that was given to him by TV host Willie Revillame as a consolation prize. Estrada said that the amount was used to buy a PSP and bike for Jan-Jan.

"Tuwang-tuwa 'yung bata. Sabi niya, 'Gusto ko bumalik kay Willie,'"  Faustino, who interviewed Estrada, tweeted via TweetDeck March 28.

The elder Estrada said, probably in response to those reported negative feedback generated by his son’s "performance" on Revillame's show, that “Wala akong narinig na hindi maganda. Kahit mga kamaganak ko sa abroad. Tumawag sila sa akin. 'Jojo, napaiyak kami sa tuwa.'"

Estrada added, "Sa akin hindi bastos. Basta sayaw 'yan. hindi alam ng bata kung bastos. Kaya siya umiiyak kasi natatakot siya kay Kapre Balingit."

Sucaldito says...
Radio host and columnist Jobert Sucaldito, who was a catalyst that eventually led to Revillame leaving ABS-CBN more than a year ago, tackled the issue on his DZMM radio program “Mismo.”
 
Sucaldito believes Revillame is not solely to blame over the matter.
 
“It’s not even Willie na dapat dito tumbukin diyan, eh. Kumbaga, ang host kasi sometimes can only do so much. Actually, kung may krimen man as a host, palagay ko 20% [lang]...kasi depende sa audience. Ang audience, nag-enjoy [so] akala niya [Revillame] okay lang. Papatawanin mo ‘yun, eh...."

Sucaldito said Revillame was just an "accessory" because "baka hindi niya sinasadya...hindi niya na-realize [na iba na pala ang nangyayari]."

"Ang importante dito realization. 'Ay, oo nga pala no, parang mali.' We don’t judge him...kumbaga okay part ka, accessory to the crime if you may say so. There’s a responsibility ng buong show. It’s holistic,” he said.
 
Told that the boy's parents are not pressing charges against "Willing Willie," Sucaldito said, “Hindi, nag-enjoy sila [parents]. Ang nagturo yata ‘yung tatay niya at saka tiya niya...kasi alam nila na this is something new sa mata ng tao; na isang bata, magaling sumayaw ng gano’n."

Sucaldito pointed out that incident could set a precedent. “Baka maraming gumaya na kabataan,” he quipped.

In closing, Sucaldito said his comments have nothing to do with his issue with Willie last year.

"Walang ganoon. Ano na ito, this is different story....hindi naman tayo namemersonal, eh.”