Through the metering device and the handsets, the television ratings service will be able to report what channels different homes are watching and the types of people watching different channels and programs.

MONEY FOR RATINGS. According to Vivian Tin, ABS-CBN was alarmed when a man suddenly appeared in their Bacolod office to divulge an anomaly in the ratings system being administered by AGB Nielsen.

According to the alleged source, the panel of homes in Bacolod—which serves as the sample tapped by the research agency in generating the data around the area—have been infiltrated by an outside party.

"In the TV ratings research business, the identities of panel homes are closely guarded so that no outside party can approach to induce them to watch channels or programs that they would not normally watch," read Vivien from a prepared statement.

In research data gathering, it is vital that the names, homes, and identification of the selected group being studied remain anonymous and independent from outside interference so as not to influence their actions.

"Being a representative requires that the panel has been properly and statistically sampled," explained Vivien to the press. "Additionally, the panel members must be reflecting their normal behavior... They are watching what they want to watch and when they want to watch it."

A video clip was played during the press conference. The informant narrated in Ilonggo how his group was being paid by a specific organization to scout, then identify, the sample households and bribe the members to deliberately switch channels in favor of the requesting party.

"We moved around barangays," revealed the informant whose face was never shown in the video. "We asked each household where the device is. When we find out that the house has one, we go there."

As revealed, AGB Nielsen gives grocery items "or other things they can use in the household" as goodwill to the survey participants. This is totally legal.

A counter-offer is then offered by the "outside party" to sway the sampled household. "We approach the house and make a counter-offer of P500 cash or groceries. If they accept our offer, which almost always happens because of poverty, they will accept and we convince them to shift the channel to the other station," said the "scared" informant.

Curiously, a network is being dragged as the perpetrator of the illegal act. The exact name of the network was omitted, however, every time it was being mentioned by the source.

"It is ____ [network] that gives us orders," confessed the informant, "... there's seven of us involved and we go around the barangays and we simply look for the AGB meters."

The "network," added the source, was losing in the ratings game in Bacolod, thus explaining the alleged dirty tactic.

"That's why they want to get a handle on the meters so that they can have a share in the ratings and advertising."

When asked if AGB Nielsen had any idea of the unlawful practice, the informant boomingly said, "No"—indicating that the act is solely carried out by a specific "network" and not by the research group.