Popular comedian/TV host Willie Revillame has once again landed in controversy.

A petition of sorts is gaining ground in the World Wide Web—with more than 1,800 votes as of 2:27 Thursday, August 6 —to oust him not only from hosting the noontime show, “Wowowee,” but from ABS-CBN altogether.

The appeal stemmed from what the petitioners termed “rude, arrogant and disrespectful” statements made by the comedian on a live stream of the cortege of former president Corazon “Cory” Aquino which appeared in an on screen “window” in a portion of “Wowowee.”

In a video capture now being shown in Youtube and similar websites, Revillame is seen visibly irked, blurting out: "Pangit! Hindi ho maganda sa atin. Nagsasalita [ako], ipinapakita yung kabaong ni Tita Cory, hindi ba? Papano kami makapagsasaya?”

An earlier portion of the video also shows the host addressing someone off-cam.“Nagsasaya kami dito, papakita n'yo sa amin yun [libing]...? Hindi tama, okay?”

According to the petitioners, Revillame “reacted badly” on the matter.

It read in part: “…bad taste for ABS-CBN to show a snippet of the funeral on Wowowee, but it was worse for Revillame to react that way. Willie has chosen to let the contestant dance instead of cutting short her act and give way to the coverage of the cortege. Willie has chosen to blurt out his rude comments on-air instead of [doing it] off-cam. In short, Willie chose to have fun instead of giving way to the funeral of Pres. Corazon Aquino…that was not a good example to [show] our youth today.”

Apparently expecting such a reaction, Revillame immediately apologized on air for his actions.

“I'm sorry ho, ha. Pero ako, totoo ako, e. 'Wag n'yo akong pagagalitan, kasi ako totoo lang.”

The host also apologized to his viewers, to the Aquino family and to the management of ABS-CBN for “hurting their feelings.”

He added that his request to stop the airing of the said live streaming video was made as a sign “of love and respect for Tita Cory.”

“Sa sitwasyon na ito, kung may nasaktan ako, I'm sorry. Sa pamilya Aquino, alam ng buong pamilya Aquino [na] wala akong masamang intention doon.”

This hasn’t stopped his detractors from continuing on their appeal for ABS-CBN to relieve Revillame though.

Calling the attention of the network—including the Movie and Television and Classification Board (MTRCB) and the Philippine Association of National Advertisers (PANA)—the petitioners asked that Revillame be "reprimanded" if not "ultimately axed."

Revillame says he is ready to face his accusers.

“Uulitin ko po, wala akong kinakatakutan sa pangyayaring ‘yan. Wala po akong mali sa ginawa ko, dahil in my heart and in my soul, malaki po ang respeto ko sa pamilya Aquino at kay Tita Cory,” he said.

ABS-CBN has yet to issue an official statement regarding the matter as of this writing.