'Willing Willie', to return or not to return? Take the poll!

With the recent turn out of events, Willie Revillame has announced that his show "Willing Willie" will be off air for two weeks or until he makes up his mind of continuing the show without the sponsors.


What do you think, guys? Should "Willing Willie" go on air once again? Or is it better for TV5 not to have the show anymore?

Poll: ''Willing Willie", to return or not to return? Cast your votes!

Background

The controversial March 12 episode of "Willing Willie" where a 6-year old boy named JanJan Suan did a macho dancing act as his talent in a segment of the show, has been found to constitute child abuse by some government agencies.

The Movie and Television Review and Classification Board is currently investigating on the matter. Meanwhile, the show's sponsors have pulled out their ads on the show.

Willie Revillame fired back by Lea Salonga, Jim Paredes, Bianca Gonzales, etc.

When Willie Revillame said his piece on the March 12 Willing Willie episode controversy last night (April 8, 2011), he made mention of the celebrities who attacked the said episode on Twitter and threatened them of a legal suit.

These were the things Willie Revillame said (transcription courtesy of Mykiru):

"Maraming mga artistang nakisawsaw. Mag-isip muna kayo bago kayo makisawsaw. Ang sakit nyo. Yan si Jim Paredes ng Apo, tinira ko sa Twitter, si Aiza Seguerra, tinira ko sa Twitter, si Agot Isidro, Lea Salonga, Mylene Dizon, sasabihin ko na lahat, sino pa, Bianca Gonzales ng SNN, susuportahan nyo ba ang mga taong yan? (Audience shouted NO!)

"Anong nagawa nyo? Anong nagawa nyo sa sambayanang Pilipino? (audience said "Wala")

"Sino pa? Si Tuesday (Vargas) na kasama ko dito tinira rin ako. Di ko maintindihan na tagarito ka, tinira mo ko. K Brosas. Sino pa? Leah Navarro okay. Sino pa?

"Kapwa tayo artista, nakagawa ba kayo ng tulong? Nagbigay ba kayo sa Bantay Bata ng isang milyon? Nagbigay ba kayo? Hindi.

"Wag kayo maghuhusga ng kapwa nyo artista. Dapat magkasama tayo dun. Tulungan nyo kami pag nagkakamali kami, wag kayong maghuhusga. Tandaan nyo, ung masang Pilipino ang sumusuporta sa inyo.

"Yan pong mga pangalan na yan, winasak ang pagkatao ko sa Twitter. Yan pong mga taong yan. Jim Paredes ng Apo, Lea Salonga...

"Aiza Seguerra, magpakalalake ka! Tandaan mo yan. Bata ka pa, di ba, nagtatrabaho ka na, di ba exploitation yan. Mag-isip ka. Tingnan nyo muna sarili nyo bago kayo magsalita.

"Agot Isidro, wala ka namang anak eh bat mo ko gaganyanin, alamin mo muna.

"Sino pa? Bianca Gonzales, akala mo kung mga sino kayo!"

"May natulungan ba kayong mga mahihirap?

"Kaya ko lang ho sinasabi to, nagtitimpi ako, ayaw ko tong sabihin, ayokong banggitin ang pangalan nila, pero sa Twitter ho un ang ginagawa nila, ang wasakin ako.

Through their Twitter accounts, the showbiz personalities mentioned immediately fired back Willie Revillame's statement after the show. These were the posts they made:

Jim Paredes:

“How can a laos, old, over the hill guy like me destroy a sikat, powerful, rich Superstar like Willie? He did it all by himself.”

“Good nyt people. Let the turmoil of the world be overcome by peaceful darkness.”

Aiza Seguerra :

“Sa mga sumusuporta, salamat po.”

K Brosas:
“Anyareeeee??!! Daming tweets nabasa ko about willing willie?! Galit sa akin at sa iba pang mga artista?! Sensya di ko napanood.”

“Ako ay nagbigay ng OPINION ko…wala akong siniraan at binanggit na name….pwedeng basahin uli mga tweets ko, never ako nagbura! Peace! :) ”

“Ang daming problema sa mundo, mga trahedya, gera etc…dun ako affected…demanda dahil sa opinion?? Wait na lng natin kung mangyayari yon:)”

Tuesday Vargas:
“pack up! now ko lang nabasa lahat ng tweets. In light of this uproar, I will remain tolerant and silent.”

Agot Isidro:
“Thank you for the outpouring of support. I am A-ok! Don’t worry about me. Dun lang tayo sa tama.”

Bianca Gonzales:
“i learned a lot on twitter tonight! difference between an informed and uninformed opinion. :) ”

“i really believe that what a person says or writes is a reflection of the kind of person he or she is. :) ”

Mylene Dizon:
“I will not be bullied. I will not threatened. Sticks and stones may break my bones but your words will never hurt me.”

Lea Salonga:
“Just got bombarded by a slew of tweets. To those who tweeted kind words of support, thanks. Much appreciated. And last I checked…”

“… it’s actually a right of every person in this country to express an opinion, good or bad. We live in a democracy, and I’m grateful.”

“And that is all I’m going to say. Nothing incendiary will be coming from me. No need for it.”

“There are insults being hurled in our direction, but eh. That’s life.”

“He’s entitled to express himself however he sees fit. As I said, democracy."

Willie Revillame also announced that his show "Willing Willie" will be off for two weeks until he makes up his mind of getting back to the show.

Aga Muhlach receives a car from Willie Revillame

Actor Aga Muhlach confirms receiving a generous gift from his friend, controversial host Willie Revillame. And it's car!

Aga Muhlach and Willie Revillame | Photo courtesy of Google Images

In a Pep.ph interview, Aga said.

"Saka yung pagreregalo niya naman, dapat lang 'yon, 'no! Ano ba naman 'yon?"

When asked on how many cars did Willie gave to him? He replied,

"Aba, kung kaya ba niya akong bigyan isa araw-araw, bakit hindi? Tatanggapin ko 'yon!" sakay naman ng aktor.

The actor clarified that he personally asked the gift from his friend.

"No, no, no... Nagsimula naman 'yon, naglambing ako sa kanya. Parang, 'Hoy, namimigay ka kung saan-saan, halika, mamigay ka sa akin!' Ganun lang 'yon, but that's nothing naman. Kotse lang," he said.

"Kami ni Willie, matagal na ang pinagsamahan namin," Aga added.

Aga did not anymore reveal the brand and type of car he received from Willie saying,

"Huwag na, ayos na 'yon. Lambingan lang namin 'yon. Noon pa, noon pa kami gano'n. Wala pang trabaho si Willie no'n, lahat ng kotse ko ginagamit naman niya!

"Ganun naman kami no'n. Sa amin, that's nothing. Sabi ko, 'Hoy, padalhan mo ako ng kotse ngayon!' ganyan-ganyan," the actor added.

Aga Muhlach recently signed a 3-year non-exclusive contract with the Kapatid network, TV5. This is after staying for 18 years as a Kapamilya.

Willing Willie March 12 episode slammed by CHR for child abuse

Willing Willie's March 12 episode was lambasted by another government entity yet again. Following the condemnation of the Department of Social Welfare and Development a few days ago, the Commission on Human Rights has recently pointed out how the TV5 show constituted child abuse.

Willing Willie March 12 Episode | Photo courtesy of Google Images

In a statement released on March 29, the Commission said it strongly condemns the episode since it exploited the "child’s innocence and demeans his inherent dignity for entertainment's sake."

It added that "the multiple pressures exerted on Jan-Jan by the TV program’s host, audience, and his parents to perform a humiliating act in exchange for ten thousand pesos constitute child abuse as defined in Section 10 of R.A. No. 7610 or “Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation, and Discrimination Act.”

The March 12 episode of Willing Willie had 6 year-old JanJan Suan as a contestant where the boy did a macho dancing routine as his talent. A copy of the episode was uploaded on Youtube where it was flooded with criticisms from concerned parents. (Check out the video HERE.) The video also went viral in social media sites and as of today, it already gained more than half a million hits.

Here's a copy of the CHR press release posted on Facebook by journalist Ellen Tordesillas:

Commission on Human Rights
For Release
29 March 2011



CHR on Child Abuse in the TV program Willing Willie

The Commission on Human Rights strongly condemns the “Willing Willie” episode aired on March 12, 2011 wherein a 6-year old boy named Jan-Jan Suan performed a “macho-dancing routine”. This is an exploitation of the child’s innocence and demeans his inherent dignity for entertainment's sake.

The multiple pressures exerted on Jan-Jan by the TV program’s host, audience, and his parents to perform a humiliating act in exchange for ten thousand pesos constitute child abuse as defined in Section 10 of R.A. No. 7610 or “Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation, and Discrimination Act.” It provides that:

Other Acts of Neglect, Abuse, Cruelty or Exploitation and Other Conditions Prejudicial to the Child's Development. –

(a) Any person who shall commit any other acts of child abuse, cruelty or exploitation or to be responsible for other conditions prejudicial to the child's development including those covered by Article 59 of Presidential Decree No. 603, as amended, but not covered by the Revised Penal Code, as amended, shall suffer the penalty of prision mayor in its minimum period.

The willingness of Jan-Jan’s parents to expose him, both in private and public, to a humiliating and degrading situation is child abuse. The Commission is also deeply alarmed that the abuse suffered by Jan-Jan was seen on national television and that its videos are being repeatedly watched by the public, including children.

The Commission will investigate this incident in order to identify the person/s liable and to recommend proper legal actions against them. The Commission will also issue recommendations to relevant private, especially TV5, and public agencies in order to prevent similar incidents from happening again. The Commission also calls upon the relevant government offices such as the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board, the Department of Social Welfare and Development, and the Department of Justice to undertake the appropriate actions to address this incidence of child abuse and to provide the necessary relief to Jan-Jan.


LORETTA ANN P. ROSALES
Chairperson



MA. VICTORIA V. CARDONA
Commissioner
Focal Commissioner for Children