news

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

by Mark Angelo Ching posted on March 28, 2011  STATS: 257788 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!"

1  2  3  4  5  6  Next »

more on this story

Show/Hide Comments

367 Comments

  • 347  usbfre07

    03/31/2011 | 03:27 PM
    jigz207, the reason why i bring up the video GOIN BULILIT SINGLE LADIES with Nash wearing black leotard also depicting as macho dancer is to make reference that there is a DOUBLE STANDARD because you and others cry foul when you claim that such ACT is unacceptable yet disregard the incident involving kids performs the same dance routine or even worst in the past and none of you raised any question what so ever ...and i never said that this is a network war of any kind
    Reply |  0 Replies
    0   0   0  
  • 346  jigz207

    03/31/2011 | 03:21 PM
    and wala bang intention to humiliate yung pag-kukumpara sa ni jan jan sa burlesk queen? na kailangan magsayaw para kumita? Its humiliating! and morally degrading..
    Reply |  0 Replies
    0   0   0  
  • 345  jigz207

    03/31/2011 | 03:09 PM
    usbfreo7, i dont think humingi sha ng sorry, TV5 yes, but not him. He even said, hindi sha guilty. And I dont understand why you keep on dragging Going Bulilit on this issue. Probably you are right, siguro nga may sexy dance dun ang bata.. But as I mentioned earlier, ang issue dito is how the child who were already crying was put on and shameful situation na paulit ulit na ginawang katatawanan.. If thats acceptable to you, thats your opinion.. But for us, Its not!
    Reply |  0 Replies
    0   0   0  
  • 344  usbfre07

    03/31/2011 | 02:50 PM
    jigz07, ill accept that...and if you and others are offended humingi sya at ang tv5 ng paumanhin but in my view it was never intended to embarrass or humiliate the kid kasi before pa nag perform si Janjan tinanong muna sya kung sino ang favorite nyang singer tapos hinalikan pa ni Willie sa ulo to boost his confidence...and its true na we should not tolerate any form of child abuse but if you condemn one act, we should condemn all and not spare others...
    Reply |  0 Replies
    0   0   0  
  • 343  jigz207

    03/31/2011 | 02:32 PM
    usbfreo7, ang kino-condone dito is yung paulit ulit na pinasayaw yung bata to the point na yung pinaka last eh nilagay pa sha dun sa elevated platform at dun sya pinasayaw with matching sexy girls around him na para talagang macho dancer.. if its just once, then probably hindi magiging ganito kalaking issue, pwede mo pang palampasin.. i dont think maraming mag rereklamo.. pero yung gawin mong katatawanan yung act na may pagka bastos at paulit ulit mong ipagawa sa bata.. thats really foul! kaya maraming nag rereact! Hindi eto network wars!
    Reply |  0 Replies
    0   0   0  
  • 342  usbfre07

    03/31/2011 | 01:23 PM
    machuraka, siguro makakatulong sa argument mo na instead of personally attacking me, you attack the issue itself...if you cant take the heat, then get out of the kitchen...just a thought
    Reply |  0 Replies
    0   0   0  
  • 341  machuraka

    03/31/2011 | 01:12 PM
    ang daming utak-biya dito. usbfre07 Kung hindi ka kamag-anak ni willie, siguro isa ka dun sa nabiyayaan ni willie kaya ganyan na lang ang pagbubulag-bulagan mo at pagtatanggol sa kanya. Hindi na nakapagtataka kung ung audience niya ay pinapalakpakan ang bawat sabihin niya sa WW. Alangan naman na i-boo siya ng mga manonood eh di pinalayas sila dun. Sayang naman ang pagpila nila at paghihintay nilang magbukas ang studio kung wala silang mapapala.
    Reply |  0 Replies
    0   0   0  
  • 340  usbfre07

    03/31/2011 | 12:37 PM
    babebibubu, i really respect your point of view... i get it when you said na ang mga batang actor na ito ay dumaan sa maraming proseso bago sila isalang sa mga eksena peru sa nangyari kay janjan, parang wala rin namang pagkakaiba kasi sumasayaw na sya ng ganitong routine since he was a little boy and performed in other public events in the past na wlang pumuna...ang pag spoof ng mga child actor at pag emulate ni JanJan sa pag sayaw bilang isang macho dancer ay hindi ang environment o ang proseso ang magiging batayan kung ang isang behavior ay acceptable or not kung hindi ang OUTCOME or and kabuuang MESSAGE nito pag napapanuod na natin ito sa TV screen...for me ang parehong ACT but favors one over the other is a DOUBLE STANDARD
    Reply |  0 Replies
    0   0   0  
  • 339  babebibobu

    03/31/2011 | 11:37 AM
    at yun din ang hindi ko maintindihan sa mga magulang at sa tiya lalo ni janjan. dahil ang anak ko, kahit asawa ko mismo ang bumibiro sa kanya, may limitasyon. pinipili ko ang birong ibabato sa anak ko. kahit hindi pumasok sa isip kong child abuse yung pagbibiro sa bata, naiisip ko na matatanim sa isip nya yun. nasa stage si janjan kung kailan nahuhubog ang pagkatao nya, formative stage ika nga. kung ano ang mga nakikita nya at ginagawa nya o ginagawa sa knay ngayon, yung ang nagiging basehan nya ng kung ano ang tama't mali, at kung sino at ano sya sa society. kay kung lagi syang pagsasayawin ng "macho dancing", malamang isipin ng bata na normal lang at katanggap tanggap yun. at ang pagtawanan sa publiko ay normal din, dahil yun ang ginawa sa kanya.
    Reply |  0 Replies
    0   0   0  
  • 338  babebibobu

    03/31/2011 | 11:32 AM
    con't. pero yung 5 ulit na? parang mali na ata yun. siguro kahit ikaw ang biruin ng kabarkada mo, sa harap ng maraming tao, sa simula masaya..katuwaan pa. pero yugn ulit-ulitin pa sa mukha mo, matutuwa ka pa ba dun? palagay ko hindi, instead mapipikon ka rin siguro. may anak akong halos ka-edad ni janjan kaya alam ko kung gaano sila ka-sensitive emotionally. siguro yun ang hindi mo maintindihan.
    Reply |  0 Replies
    0   0   0  
  • 337  babebibobu

    03/31/2011 | 11:28 AM
    usbfre07, there's more than that kasi than the act itself. sabihin mo na ngang mas "malala" yung pagsasayaw ni Nash sa videong tinutukoy mo--na hindi ko nga pala makita sa youtube--iba pa rin yugn circumstances. alam ni Nash yung gagawin nya dahil may direktor, may rehearsals, at may script munang dumadating bago pa gawin ang eksena nya. in other words, handa ang bata sa gagawin nya, ganun din ang magulang. at ang konteksto ng pagsasayaw ni Nash ay bilang pag-spoof na bahagi ng trabaho nya bilang isang child actor, na by teh way, ay may kaukulang permits, na to a certain extent eh nagga-guard sa rights ng bata. yung kay janjan naman, kinailangan nyang panindigan dahil may pressure na makakuha ng malaking pera bilang premyo. hindi man nya ganap na naiintindihan yung konsepto ng "papremyo", yung udyok na lang ng mga magulang at tiyahin, enopugh na "pananakot" na yun para sundin nya yung lahat ng utos ni willie. siguro kung isa o dalawang beses lagn syagn pinagsayaw walang problema, katuwaan lang yun. pe
    Reply |  0 Replies
    0   0   0  
  • 336  sipsip

    03/31/2011 | 08:47 AM
    bogbog sarado si revillame doon sa pinoyexchange. buti na lang hindi nagdedelete ang mods doon. tulungan nyo idol nyo doon at nililitson na sya. bohoho.
    Reply |  0 Replies
    0   0   0  
  • 335  preciosarosa

    03/31/2011 | 04:19 AM
    Sinungaling si Willie. Sabi niya di niya alam na sasayaw ng macho dancing ang bata. Okay, palalampasin ang isang beses eh pinaulit ulit pa niya eh kung wala siyang intention na insultuhin ang bata eh bakit pinaulit ulit niya kahit kitang kita niya na umiiyak na ang bata. Willie huwag kang sinungaling. Me tape na mapapanood at di mo maloloko ngayon ang mga tao. Maraming patawad na sa iyo pati ang pag disrespeto mo sa hero icon na si Tita Cory, ang panlalait mo sa management ng ABS-CBN, ang panlalait mo sa mga staff, dancers at mga co hosts mo pati mga contestants. SOBRA SOBRA KA NA.
    Reply |  0 Replies
    0   0   0  
  • 334  gagaka_noh

    03/30/2011 | 11:57 PM
    Pathetic you are!!! Talk to the hands!!!
    Reply |  0 Replies
    0   0   0  
  • 333  usbfre07

    03/30/2011 | 11:23 PM
    ang problema kasi sa iba you pick and choose kung anung mali ang gusto nyong punahin and then you turn a blind eye sa pagkakamali ng iba dahil galit na galit kayo kay willie... so ang nangyayari, ginamit lang ninyo this poor little janjan to attack willie kasi kung ang ACT ng bata na ginawa sa programa ni Willie ang pinagpuputok ng mga butsi ninyo, i dare you put Janjan's video vs. sa video ni Nash na nasa you tube GOIN BULILIT SINGLE LADIES at sabihin mo sa akin kung ang CONTENT nito ay hindi salungat sa mga pinaglalaban ninyo...after you make that distinction, please give me the definition of the word HYPOCRITE
    Reply |  0 Replies
    0   0   0  
  • 332  sipsip

    03/30/2011 | 09:39 PM
    psst 338, di ma gets ni Christy Fermin yan dito na 24-7 nagbabantay dito sa pep. talo pa ang security guard.
    Reply |  0 Replies
    0   0   0  
  • 331  puckerlips143

    03/30/2011 | 08:40 PM
    Hindi Naman sana magiging issue un pagsayaw ni janjan sa ww ang problema makikita mo sa mukha ng bata na against sya sa paulit ulit na pagpapasayaw sa kanya at pinagtatawanan pa 6yrs old naiintindihan na nyan ang kinukutya at pinagtatawanan or masaya dahil nagandahan sa performance nya kaya nga may lungkot sa mukha ng bata umiyak pa nga eh. Kelangan nyang gawin for sure kapag off air Baka sinabihan pa sya ni Willie bibigyan ng malaking pera sumayaw Lang ulit dapat din interviewhin ang bata.
    Reply |  0 Replies
    0   0   0  
  • 330  zkt623

    03/30/2011 | 05:51 PM
    Willie is indifferent to moral standards...may tawag dyan...amoral!!!that is even worse kasi parang wala lang sa kanya ang nangyari, baka nga di pa nya naiintindihan kung bakit nag blow out of proportion ang jan jan issue....di ba usbfre07? ikaw si willie diba?
    Reply |  0 Replies
    0   0   0  
  • 329  gagaka_noh

    03/30/2011 | 05:31 PM
    What's this one's insisting comparing Janjan and GOING BULILIT?? Going bulilit is a tv show composed of children who imitates the acts or lives of adults the children gobe through proper and thorough auditioning and from thé very start inexplain sa knila ang mgging rôle nila kya trabaho nila yun at may permit cla to work n perform sa TV gets mo?!! C janjan hinugot sa audience pinasayaw ng tugtog ni snoopy dog na malaswa din ang lyrics!! Kinausap b sya ng staff o ni willie pra e-explain kung bkit ganun ang sayaw nya?? Na pwede nman sna ibahin db?? Magisip ka usbfre07 kung matino ang isip mo pati sa batang musmos hindi mo mkita ang tama sa Mali!!!
    Reply |  0 Replies
    0   0   0  
  • 328  babebibobu

    03/30/2011 | 05:23 PM
    si usbfre07 ay si willie. kaya hindi nyo maiiba pag-iisip nyan. ok?
    Reply |  0 Replies
    0   0   0  

PEP TV

PEP NEWS REWIND

Search Articles by Artist or Full Name

MOST POPULAR

  • Fetching Most Popular

MOST SHARED

  • Fetching Most Shared

MOST TALKED ABOUT

  • Fetching Most Talk About