If you haven’t heard Willie Revillame’s rant over this Willing Willie Jan-Jan Controversy, here’s the video:
(For the full transcript, go to Gelo Lopez’s blog.)
First of all, let’s state the obvious. Revillame had every right to say whatever he felt he should say to defend himself. No problem there. We are all just exercising our rights to speak out.
On the matter of whether or not Revillame’s rant held valid points, well, that would entail a bit more analysis. If we are to listen carefully to his statement what he said can be broken down as follows:
- I have done nothing wrong.
- This is the handiwork of those who want to put me down specifically ABS-CBN.
- I can afford to retire from the industry. It is my followers and my staff in the show who stand to lose if I go off the air.
- I have been doing a lot of charitable works. Have my detractors done the same?
Let’s dissect these one by one.
I have done nothing wrong.
It really is debatable if Revillame did or did not commit child abuse. As far as I’m concerned that is an issue best left sorted out in a court of law. In case you want an intelligent argument against the accusation, you can find one over at Indolent Indio.
I can understand Revillame’s insistence that he committed nothing wrong. The main accusation, which has become the major basis for the current indignation bandwagon, is child abuse. It would be utterly stupid of him not to react to that.
However, I feel Revillame is deliberately avoiding one other issue, for which he is clearly guilty without question. I suspect he himself knows this. I’m talking about his apparent lack of good judgment and responsibility as an influential media personality. As was pointed out in my first blogpost about this issue:
It could have passed off as nothing serious, but Revillame’s misplaced thinking that it was cute of him to have the little boy repeat the performance over and over again clearly showed an absence of good judgment on his part.
As it is, Revillame seems to be glossing over this particular issue. It’s simply not correct of him to say that he did nothing wrong.
This is the handiwork of those who want to put me down specifically ABS-CBN.
I don’t know if this whole thing was started by ABS-CBN or any specific group that has for its main goal the downfall of Willie Revillame. What I do know that I’m very sure of is that not everyone who expressed indignation over this issue is affiliated with ABS-CBN or any anti-Willie group.
I can only speak for myself. As a blogger, one of my advocacies has always been to get media to shape up. In fact, as early as the May 2010 elections, I have been writing about what I believe to be Philippine media’s tendency to make dumb people out of Filipinos.
It is actually quite dishonest of Revillame to make this out as nothing more than a concerted effort by groups with vested interests to bring him down. It is not.
Now in fairness to Revillame, it is possible that ABS-CBN is now riding on the issue. Well, I think Revillame shouldn’t worry about that too much. If ABS-CBN wants to get involved then so be it. The truth is ABS-CBN does have a lot to do with this issue considering the kind of crap programming it has been serving the Filipino people for some time now. Let’s not forget also that Revillame is largely an ABS-CBN creation.
Again, this issue is not just about the alleged child abuse. It is also about media responsibility, a fact that even TV5′s president Ray Espinosa and consumer goods company Unilever acknowledged.
1) To temporarily suspend effective Monday, April 11, 2011, our participation in all reality-based live game shows across all networks. This measure will be in place until we observe stricter and objective self-regulatory guidelines across networks and proper enforcement by the relevant government agencies of existing content regulations.
I think Revillame said it perfectly.
Kung sususpindihin niyo kami, suspindihin ninyong lahat yan.
I can afford to retire from the industry. It is my followers and my staff in the show who stand to lose if I go off the air.
There’s no denying the fact that Revillame is a very rich man. I can imagine that he can very well not do anything related to work anymore yet he’d still be comfortable many times over.
He does have a point when he said it is those in his production staff who stand to lose in case his show is taken off the air. I can’t say the same about his viewers though.
Contrary to what Revillame has been saying all these years, his program is not a public service endeavor. Just think about it. Of the hundreds if not thousands of people who line up to be part of his program’s live studio audience, how many of them really get money from Revillame? How much on average do they get? Is money distributed to them automatically or does it happen under some random or whimsical selection process?
Let’s acknowledge the fact that for the poor, the demographic which Revillame claims to be the main “beneficiary” of his program, a few thousand pesos is a big deal. Still, are they really being helped by this dole-out set up being promoted by Revillame?
Now assuming that Revillame is indeed doing a lot of good for his staff and his followers, doesn’t it then become more important for him to be more responsible and to keep out of trouble so he can continue his good deeds?
Revillame shouldn’t be blaming anyone for putting his program in danger of being taken off the air temporarily or permanently. He could have avoided this.
I have been doing a lot of charitable works. Have my detractors done the same?
It might seem a distasteful assertion to some, including myself, but it cannot be denied that Revillame raised a valid point. But what Revillame failed to realize is that if being charitable comes to him naturally then it shouldn’t matter whether or not his program exists. If he has the means and he feels like doing it then he can continue using his wealth to help others. It’s as simple as that.
Well, okay, let’s acknowledge that fact that Revillame was just so offended he felt compelled to get back at his detractors specifically those among his colleagues in the industry. Again that is his right.
I now wonder what Jim Paredes, Aiza Seguerra, Agot Isidro and the others that Revillame identified have to say about that.
PinoyBuzz wrote something interesting in his article Willing Revillame Goes On Leave After Advertisers Pull-Out.
But, what I do hope for is that the outrage movement that was sparked by the sexually suggestive dancing of a six year old didn’t come to be just because of a shared hatred for Willy Revillame.
Indeed, this whole indignation bandwagon should be motivated by something bigger than mere contempt for Revillame. The television host is just one person. There are much bigger fish to fry such as the whole broadcasting industry.
Personally, I wouldn’t mind seeing Revillame continue his work as a television host as long as he makes some major adjustments. I sincerely hope he would spend the next two weeks in serious reflection. He already has the influence. He might as well use that for something that would benefit an even bigger number of people in ways that go beyond providing a diversion and a few thousand pesos that wouldn’t even last a week.
Congratz BP, ang galing ng pagkakakdissect mo ng mga issues, and you’re impartial. i particularly very much agree with your comment that maybe its about time that WILLIE makes adjustment and do something better for the filipino people, kasi nga ika mo HE ALREADY HAS THE INFLUENCE, SO WHY NOT DO SOMETHING THAT WILL BENEFIT MORE OF THE POOR FILIPINO.
Actually for me, in my opinion hindi naman deliberate na intention ni Willie na magkaganun sa show nya si JAnjan, kulang lang talaga sya ng good judgement sa ganun klase situation, instead parang napagkatuwaan pa nya ung sitwasyon. Maybe , the MTRB and TV industry/management must come up with more stricter guidelines sa mga shows.
[Reply]
well said. Willie Revillame is a good entertainer, if this entertainment is what the majority wants. But his poor morals and ethics put him in a lot of trouble and is down right unacceptable. It’s about time we address this issue so the kids watching won’t be doing the same as they grow up.
[Reply]
whats wrong with repeating it? if you found nothing wrong with it the first time, why not do it again?
[Reply]
bp Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 10:01 am
gabbyd,
exactly my point.
willie saw nothing wrong with it and so he had jan-jan do the dance 4 more times. i think a more responsible tv host would have at least sensed by the second repetition (third performance) that it was no longer “cute” by then considering that the kid was obviously crying (and that is regardless of what the reason was for his crying).
[Reply]
GabbyD Reply:
April 11th, 2011 at 11:05 am
i dont think that the boy cried all through the video. he cried at the start, and it had nothing to do with the dance per se.
[Reply]
bp Reply:
April 11th, 2011 at 11:36 am
gabbyd,
i don’t dispute that. whether jan-jan cried because of humiliation or joy is really besides the point for me. simple lang, the boy was crying, the dance was rather off, a thinking TV host would have let it go after the first performance.
GabbyD Reply:
April 11th, 2011 at 11:57 am
so you didnt like the dance itself. i’m good with that. different people like different things.
but what i’m not sure i like is how people impose what they like or dont like on others, only because the “believe” its “abuse”.
this is just the latest example of this. but this clash of beliefs happens all the time and is inherently political in nature.
a good example is corporeal punishment. another is eating dogs. happens all the time.
in our time, i’d rather this happen politically and be a product of legislation and national debate, rather than strong arming companies and engaging in twitter fights.
back then, differences in beliefs were hashed out violently. the US civil war is an example of a cultural difference that men simply had to go to war for.
bp Reply:
April 11th, 2011 at 1:26 pm
gabbyd,
some people do think it’s abuse. I don’t necessarily share that opinion. what i’m sure of is that it was clear display of poor media responsibility.
i don’t see any problem with imposing standards on others. that’s basically what the law does anyway. however, in this case, i don’t think there’s any real imposition happening yet. what is there is just a clamor for higher standards. we’re not prohibited from doing that, are we?
GabbyD Reply:
April 11th, 2011 at 2:14 pm
” don’t see any problem with imposing standards on others. that’s basically what the law does anyway”
exactly! if one part of society wants to impose on another, then it really ought 2 be through formal channels.
if there is one clear lesson, we wanna lessen the use of “people power” type movements that strong arm changes. this social media thing just makes this sort of thing (mass movements) easier.
bp Reply:
April 11th, 2011 at 2:23 pm
gabbyd,
well, mass movements have some purpose like in this case. had there been no mass reaction to the janjan incident, it would have just faded into the background. now that it’s being talked about, we can at least expect some action from the tv networks if not the mtrcb or congress. i think that’s ok unless you’re against the whole thing per se including the call for higher standards.
inggit lng kc nila dahil alam nla na masyadong mataas ang rating ng welling wellie….ano ba nman yan…panoorin kc niala ng pinaka buo non para malaman nila…bago cla mag husga….
[Reply]
bp Reply:
April 12th, 2011 at 10:04 am
roselyn,
napanood na ho namin at matagal nang alam ng mga may isip na maraming maling ginagawa si willie na hindi dapat ipinapakita sa telebisyon lalo pa’t napaka-impluwensiyal niya.
huwag niyong ipilit na isyu ito ng inggit. inggit nino? ng abs-cbn? maaari ngang sinasakyan na ng abs-cbn ang isyu pero yun lang yun sinakyan lang nila. mga taong may isip ang unang nagreklamo.
[Reply]
Very nice digest of this case. Thanks.
For myself, personally, I find Mr. Willie represents the Philippines 100% true blue, benignly racist and sexually bent (ogling the lightly clad dancing girls in a conserrvative society), whipping up the crocodile tears amongst the poor folks for an audience that goes about caring little for anyone but themselves in real time, and a fantastic entertainer without a lot of intellectual depth.
[Reply]
bp Reply:
April 13th, 2011 at 9:19 am
hi joe. thanks for the compliment.
yes, indeed, willie revillame is the filipino. not the best example though.
[Reply]
Fan po ako ni Willie pero I try to comment as fair as possible.
* Janjan Dancing – Dapat po mawala na ang ganyang type of dancing sa TV lalong lalo na sa mga bata especially mga babae na ang liliit ng damit na pinapasuot. I just want to EMPHASIZE na hindi ang WOWOWEE o Willing Willie ang pioneer na nagpalabas ng ganyan bakit si Willie lang ang nasita – Namimili lang ba na pwedeng sitahin?
* Hindi Santo o Demonyo si Willie, meron lang sya malaking puso sa mga nangangailangan kaya mahal na mahal sya ng mga tao FYI – di ba nagdonate sya ng P50 Million pesos sa Will and Surf Foundation, higit sa pera, nagbibigay sya ng Ngiti sa mga Pilipino
*Attitude – Si Willie po ay hindi Plastik unlike ung iba pang TV lang, kung ano si Willie sa TV yun talaga sya, kung titignan mabuti, si Willie ay walang pinagkaiba sa mga ordinaryong Pilipino
*Simbahan – Bakit si ano at si ano, hindi nila nasisita bakit kay Willie vocal sila
*Advertisers – Dapat ipullout din po nyo ung ads nyo sa mga iba kung ang basis natin ay mga Actions ni Willie sa paningin ng iba ay mali.
*ABS – CBN – hindi ang buong kompaya ang nilalabanan ni Willie, yung mga unfair lang sa kanya.
* Fame and Money – Hindi ang ABS CBN ang nagbigay nito kay Willie kundi ang Masang Pilipino
*Responsibility – Willie should be more responsible and sensitive also because of his status in society – he is very influential.
[Reply]
bp Reply:
April 13th, 2011 at 3:22 pm
now that’s acceptable.
[Reply]
balintatao Reply:
April 23rd, 2011 at 12:23 pm
Hindi namimili ng sisitahin. Ang sinisita ay yung TV host na PAULIT ULIT na pinag-MACHO DANCING ang isang bata. Ginawa pang katatawanan. May nakita ka na bang ganito sa ibang palabas? WALA.
May malaking puso nga si Willie, kaya hindi man lang niya napansin na maaring magdulot ng stampede doon sa palabas niya noon. Ayun, yung malaking puso niya, nakapatay ng maraming tao. Host ka eh, dapat may pakialam ka sa palabas mo. Malaking puso rin ba ang ginamit niya para paulit-ulit na pag-Macho dancing-in ang isang bata?
Hindi mo kailangang i-broadcast kung ano ang naitutulong ni Willie. Maraming Pilipino ang gumagawa niyan ng tahimik.
Hindi nga siya plastic, balasubas naman. Hindi mo makitaan ng sincerity. Walang ka-remorse remorse sa pinaggagagawa niya. Siya pa matapang. Yung mga taong nais na mapaganda ang show niya, iyon pa ang nagpapakumbaba.
Malaki ang sahod ni Willie sa ABS-CBN kaya para sabihing hindi galing sa kumpanya ang pera ay somewhat biased. Isa pa, ABS-CBN ang distributor ng palabas niya, kung wala ang network, wala rin siya. Subukan niyang gaguhin ang TV5, ewan ko na lang kung saan siya pupunta. Diba mayaman siya, magtayo na lang siya ng sarili niyang network ng malugi siya.
[Reply]
SA nangyayaring ito, ang siguradong talo ay si Janjan at ang pamilya niya. Some parties are using this incident to remove Willie from the scene. But at the same time, they are humiliating Janjan and his family. As you could see it, sinakyan na yata lahat ng mga sectors ang issue at lalong naging kawawa si Janjan. In an article pa nga, ginawa pa siyang poster boy ng abused children. Kinawawa si janjan para lang mahila pababa si Willie which is very much unfair to the child.
[Reply]
bp Reply:
April 18th, 2011 at 9:52 am
danny,
this was inevitable considering how willie’s been conducting himself on tv. willie can come back, but he needs to change his ways and what he dishes out on tv. he should consider the fact that he can influence a lot of people. as it was, he was basically teaching people to be beggars.
[Reply]
GabbyD Reply:
April 18th, 2011 at 11:46 am
how has willie’s conduct on TV wrong in your opinion?
[Reply]
bp Reply:
April 18th, 2011 at 12:06 pm
gabbyd,
can i get back to you on that? i’m in the middle of something really important. responding to you is also important but i’m just occupied at the moment. thanks.
gabbyd,
i’ve thought about your question while i was away, and i’ve concluded that i answered it way before you asked it.
so here are my words from previous comments i made on this topic.
– he should consider the fact that he can influence a lot of people. as it was, he was basically teaching people to be beggars.
– the boy was crying, the dance was rather off, a thinking TV host would have let it go after the first performance.
[Reply]
You believe: “You had done nothing wrong?” If you require a 6 year old child, to Dance and Gyrate , like a Male Chippendale Dancer…Is that not child exploitation? The child came from a poor family. He did this, because of the prize money…Like you make a monkey dance for a banana…
You were part of the ABS-CBN initiative; to make the Filipinos dumb…and promote their Mendicancy Mentality…
We don’t care how much money you have…you are a pervert…and you are arrogant,also…
We the BP Bloggers, have done better charities, than you…we informed people: that they are being exploited by your show; for a few thousand pesos…they Trade their DIGNITIES, to satisfy your perversion…Get Lost…Idiot…we don’t need people like you in the show business..
[Reply]
ok. lemme get your position straight:
you feel it was it was ” inevitable considering how willie’s been conducting himself”.
it– here is: “Some parties are using this incident to remove Willie from the scene. But at the same time, they are humiliating Janjan and his family. As you could see it, sinakyan na yata lahat ng mga sectors ang issue at lalong naging kawawa si Janjan.”
and finally, you say his conduct is bad, of which you mention:
a) he has much influence
b) the dance is “off”
ok. setting aside whether i agree with the facts of his conduct as you laid out, i am curious:
… accusing willie of child abuse, accusing jan’s parents of such, (and other names too!), exposing the kid to further humuliation (again, i use “further” because for arguments sake, i’m accepting that he was humiliated at the first instance) — all that is OK because the dance was off and that willie is influential?
[Reply]
bp Reply:
April 20th, 2011 at 11:08 pm
gabbyd,
i don’t get what you’re saying. when i said it was inevitable considering how he’s been conducting himself i was referring to his general behavior which i can only describe as risky. he’s managed to get himself into all sorts of controversies has he not? considering the law of averages, there’s really a strong likelihood willie will get himsellf into more trouble. that’s what i meant.
i really don’t understand your last comment.
btw, i’m not able to login as regularly as i usually do because i’m on a particularly long road trip and internet connection isn’t always available.
[Reply]
GabbyD Reply:
April 22nd, 2011 at 6:54 am
ok. so by general behavior, you mean, his behavior in AND outside this current show. this includes events back in channel 2 and his actions as a private individual (accusation of wife battery)
so, its ok to put all this information in consideration, EVEN IF it has no direct bearing or relationship to the event of jan-jan’s dancing?
isnt it BETTER to judge each action on its own merits? i.e. its OK to dislike him for allegedly abusing his wife, but its not OK to make a blanket accusation of child abuse, based on a 10 min edited video.
[Reply]
bp Reply:
April 25th, 2011 at 9:43 pm
gabby,
i was only referring to his behavior on tv and no i didn’t say anything about bringing up his past “mistakes” in connection with the jan-jan incident. if you’re talking about the allegation of child abuse, of course, the other controversies he was involved in should have no bearing. but if we’re gonna talk about willie’s “worth” as a media personality, it makes sense to look into his past mistakes as well.
The pervert/child exploiter is rationalizing his stupidity…
[Reply]
I am amazed how you explained everything in your own view.
I watched Wilie’s scene when he vehemently said he had done nothing wrong and mentioned names that attacked him on twitter. I didn’t see the whole show where Janjan danced like a macho-dancer although I saw a short clip of it where his face was censored. At first I felt it was unfair since everything was blamed on willie but I tried to think that maybe there is something else in this issue.
I was looking for bloggers on what they can say about Willie’s case and finally I was able to see this through ‘the society of honor’ blog. Nice work!
If you don’t mind me asking dear blogger (this question is already been asked by many but I do want to know your opinion, if you don’t mind), why is it that issues like these tends to be blown out of proportion? By the way, I did not know who first reported this issue to the higher ups.
[Reply]
bp Reply:
May 3rd, 2011 at 9:36 am
seina,
i don’t know about it being blown out of proportion, what i do know is that it did get blown up and it is because of the simple reason that revillame is a celebrity. anything he does is magnified, which is also the reason why i believe celebrities should do their best to be good examples. people are watching them.
[Reply]
@bp:
such a shame that I have not yet witness someone being a good role model… or maybe I haven’t noticed one yet since I avoid myself watching local shows and news. Thanks for the reply. I didn’t see the celebrity part… I almost forgot celebrities here in our country are very influential.
[Reply]
“In some countries, Day care centers no longer allow children to have “time-outs” or face the wall. Most staff on childcare centers allow the child to have tantrums and doing non-sense and just ignore the child until that child realizes his or her mistake.”
Let he child be a child and throw away his tantrums.
Until the time “he” realizes that people do have rational minds and do think out of the box.
[Reply]
I have nithong against Willie Revillame. But personally, I think he will be more efficient as a TV Host of Wowowee. Does he really have to enter politics to serve people when he’s already doing it in the first place.
[Reply]