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Willing Willie episode sparks criticisms ranging from "poor taste" to "child abuse"

by Mark Angelo Ching posted on March 28, 2011  STATS: 257825 Views | 367 Comments

 

Willie Revillame interviews a six-year-old contestant during the March 12 episode of Willing Willie. This particular segment of the TV5 variety primetime program prompted varied reactions from viewers who perceived it as no less than "child abuse."

Photo By: Screen grab from YouTube

A live episode of TV5's Willing Willie has sparked outrage and re-ignited a hate campaign against the program's host, Willie Revillame.

The March 12 episode of the primetime variety and game show featured a six-year-old boy performing a sexy dance multiple times, to the amusement of the studio audience. (CLICK HERE to watch the video.)

In Willie's words, the kid is acting like a "macho dancer"—or in local parlance, a male prostitute.

The name of the kid is Jan-Jan. His aunt, Jocelyn, accompanied him to Willing Willie's Novaliches studio.

This segment of the episode has been uploaded on YouTube, a video-sharing website, where it attracted a number of viewers. At press time, the video has been viewed 291,889 times.

Many video viewers have posted comments. The majority have commented that the segment was "done in poor taste." A number of others have gone so far as to call it "child abuse." There have been many posts of hurtful name-calling. The viewers who placed blame zeroed in on Willie and the boy's parents.

A few entertainment personalities have already weighed in with their opinions—including Lea Salonga, Jim Paredes, Bianca Gonzales, and Kat de Castro. All of them have said that the incident is nothing short of "child abuse."

TALENT PORTION. Willing Willie is a primetime variety and game show on TV5, aired Mondays to Saturdays. It carries a number of games that aims to amuse the audience and to send them home with attractive amounts of cash.

The main segment is called "Wiltime Bigtime." It pits six contestants with each other, each fitting a chosen theme for the day. The themes determine the set of contestants for the day, and can range from housewives to kids to soldiers to jobless men.

"Wiltime Bigtime" has two rounds: the elimination round "Kantanong" and the jackpot round "Spin a Wil."

Willie introduces the contestants one-by-one during "Kantanong." He also interviews all of them, with the end goal of having them reveal the story of their lives. The contestants are quite willing to share a great deal, too.

The contestants are also asked to show off a talent, which will earn them a cash reward. Willie decides how much money he will give a contestant, depending on the talent shown, crowd approval, and the host's own taste. Talents to be demonstrated can be anything: singing, dancing, acting, or even reciting a poem.

WILTIME BIGTIME. A boy called Jan-Jan was one of the contestants in the March 12 edition of "Wiltime Bigtime." All of the six contestants were children.

[Under this subhead, PEP summarizes the contents of the video from YouTube. The ten-minute video has been edited to include only segments featuring Jan-Jan.]

The small boy carried a blank face when he was called to the microphone. This prompted Willie to call Bonel Balingit, a formal basketball player, from the audience. The tall Bonel then stood beside the short Jan-Jan while Willie said, "Ano Jan? Suntukan, gusto mo? Parang naghahamon ka ng away!"

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367 Comments

  • 147  usagurl

    03/29/2011 | 06:05 AM
    makapag log out na nga hina ng kukuti ng iba dito. Bye and Peace to everyone....
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  • 146  lilac0808

    03/29/2011 | 05:58 AM
    Sino ba ang passionate to help poor people? Ang presidente, si kris a. ang eat bulaga? hahaha lahat sila tumutulong sa mahihirap kasi in return may nakukuha sila. Ang passionate lang tumulong iyong mga taong mayayaman na hinde nagpapakilala pero tumutulong.. iyon sila ang passionate, sila an mga pilantropist. Pero itong mga taong public figure, wag kayong maghanap ng passion , pasalamat na lang tayo at least kahit papano tumutulong.
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  • 145  usagurl

    03/29/2011 | 05:57 AM
    i just want to clear I am not and I don't have any bitterness or ill motive to anybody just here just give my opinion and comments it's not my fault kung masyado kayong sensitive and very slow to understand my points here.
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  • 144  usagurl

    03/29/2011 | 05:46 AM
    Kardashian kawawa ka naman mukhang apektado ka masyado, it sounds like mas kawawa ka pa tuloy kay sa kay Janjan. I'm just giving my opinion and comments base sa napanood ko sa Show.And what I said about sponsors and commercial is true ang daming sponsors and commercial ng Willing Willie.
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  • 143  chicago

    03/29/2011 | 05:46 AM
    Willie is not passionate about helping poor people. He exploit the helpless situation of the contestants who bravely makes themselves a laughing stock for Willie and audience. They are stripped of their dignity because they need money. Willie knows what he's done to the boy is wrong but he will not admit to it. Hindi natutulog and Diyos Willie, you'll have your time and it will be worst than what you do to your fellowmen. Wala kang konsiyensya.
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  • 142  ehemm

    03/29/2011 | 05:33 AM
    dance the dance, not danced lols....am sure kung sa ibang show yan na hindi si willie ang host, they will say ang cute ng boy, ang galing umarte, ang galing sumayaw lols....
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  • 141  nettyfrau

    03/29/2011 | 05:28 AM
    nahiya ako dun sa napanood ko..im here in europe at pepster fun ako, im not willie haters,isa akong ina ..may mga anak ako kaya lang naiisip ko ganun na ba kahirap sa pinas ngayun..ok lagn kung yun ang talent ng bata eh ang sumayaw kaya lang grabe..pang adult na ang sayaw nya very talented pa ...di ko lang ma get-bakit ilang beses pinasasayaw ang bata sa table pa ang pinaka last..oh my god..pati nga yung audience na lalaki nagtatakip na ng mata kahit natatawa cguro naiisip nya rin na mali..hayzzz grabe na to...
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  • 140  ehemm

    03/29/2011 | 05:27 AM
    exactly, usbfre 128 lols. they single out willie kasi love na love nila si willieboy lols. they gang up on willie as if he knew the boy was going to say those things and danced that dance lols. pati si shalani na nananahimik inaaway nila. they were caught unawares too, ano ba lols
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  • 139  kardashians

    03/29/2011 | 05:07 AM
    usagurl, 137. Thanks for your pathetic and flawed defense of Willie. If your main argument is in his defense is that madami siyang sponsors and commercial at hindi maubusan ng premyo, all I can say is I Pity You. Maybe in you aspire to be the same souless creature he is. I don't think most people at least the decent ones think that way.
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  • 138  yaralei

    03/29/2011 | 04:57 AM
    those who are patronizing this sicko.. u are as sick as he is...
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  • 137  yaralei

    03/29/2011 | 04:54 AM
    actually usagurl dito ko lang nalaman about that incident it bothered me a bit so i watched the said youtube and just like the other pepters it breaks my heart seing the little boy being manipulated by that man, how could you make fun of that innocent little boy? he thinks he is god and so be it..once you are a monster you are always a monster..
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  • 136  usagurl

    03/29/2011 | 04:29 AM
    I like and watch Willing Willie at wala akong nakitang masama sa Talent show at pag sasayaw ni Janjan kahit sa pag iiyak nya binibigyan lang talaga ng malice ng mga malisyoso.
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  • 135  usagurl

    03/29/2011 | 04:15 AM
    Kung galit kayo kay Willie at sa programa nya why you're watching his show? And buying all the his product. Kung ayaw talaga nyo si Willie di wag nyo panoorin, ang nangyayari galit kay Willie pero lagi nyo naman pinapanood at binibili ang mga product nya kaya the more na nag dadada kayo lalong nyong pinasikat at pinapayaman si Willie. Hayan ang dami ng sponsors and commercial ng Show nya lalong hindi maubusan ng pa premyo. kaya good luck nalang sa inyo mga haters!
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  • 134  benevolent88

    03/29/2011 | 04:15 AM
    I watched this segment thru youtube and breaks my heart nung habang sumasayaw ay umiiyak yung bata at tapos ay pinagtatawanan ng buong madla. nag comment pa si willie na umiiyak pa yan...
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  • 133  Darlings

    03/29/2011 | 04:14 AM
    Nakita ko yung video sa youtube and i really dont know what is so amusing about it unless you are a pedophile or mentally sick. Naawa talaga ako sa bata.
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  • 132  say_cutie

    03/29/2011 | 04:13 AM
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  • 131  msbayugo

    03/29/2011 | 04:13 AM
    galit lang kayo kay willie..i dont watch his show nor patronize anything he endorse...sa tingin ko yung bata tinuruan to have paawa effect face so he will gain sympathy, that dance step maybe sinadyang ituro sa bata ng parents nya to get attention mali lang ni wille sana hindi na dapat pinaulit ulit..once is enough.
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  • 130  ilokanang_harot

    03/29/2011 | 04:13 AM
    makikisawsaw... kaya nalagyan ng malisya ito dahil na rin mismong sa bibig ni willie nanggaling na parang sayaw macho dancer yung bata, na umiiyak pa sya - whatever the reason maybe - na kesyo sa kahirapan ng buhay pati batang paslit eh willing maging macho dancer para maiangat sa kahirapan ang pamilya. SI WILLIE mismo nagbigay malisya. Saka paulit ulit na sinabi ni willie na parang macho dancer yung bata at parang burlesk queen ang dating.
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  • 129  Darlings

    03/29/2011 | 04:02 AM
    *** This comment has been deactivated due to inappropriate content ***
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  • 128  ggb

    03/29/2011 | 04:02 AM
    *** This comment has been deactivated due to inappropriate content ***
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