MANILA, Philippines—(UPDATE) Ad pullouts and the displeasure of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) are bearing down on the TV game show “Willing Willie” over a 6-year-old boy’s performance of a “macho dance” in March.
Procter & Gamble Philippines, through its consumer relations manager Sol Liboro, on Friday said it had “suspended advertising on the show beginning April 7 while the incident is being reviewed and investigated by authorities.”
Unilever Philippines has also decided to temporarily suspend ad placements in the show effective April 11, but clarified that the move would cover “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,” Unilever said in a statement.
At press time, the Inquirer learned the controversial TV host is going on leave and the show will be off the air for two weeks starting Monday, April 11. Revillame announced his decision late Friday in “Willing Willie”. (See related story on this channel).
In a statement, he said there are people who are out to destroy his career.
The boy tearfully performed the “macho dance” before a cheering audience in the March 12 episode of the show hosted by Willie Revillame and aired live by broadcast network TV5. He was handed P10,000 by Revillame for his performance.
First to respond
In the resulting controversy that included various groups putting up online petitions for the show’s sponsors to withdraw, Jollibee Foods Corp. was the first to announce the pullout of its Mang Inasal ads.
“Mang Inasal has given us a heads-up,” business unit head Jay Montelibano said on April 2. “We don’t consider this an ad boycott. Other advertisers are still supporting us.”
On April 5, online reports had Del Monte dropping “current and future ad placements” of its Fit ’n’ Right drink in the show.
But in an interview posted online on April 7, Montelibano said “Willing Willie” was unaffected by the ad pullout that, he said, represented “around two minutes of total advertising load, [or] around nine placements.”
P9M daily
“Although that decreases revenue, it’s not much of the gross revenue of P8.5 to P9.0 million that the show averages daily,” he said.
Montelibano, who also heads the marketing and advertising department of the Revillame-owned Wil Productions, said Mang Inasal had a three-month contract and that it would “come back eventually.”
He said “Willing Willie” remained strong in terms of audience share. “Whether live or remote, it’s the same in Mega Manila,” he said.
The CBCP on Friday added its voice to the clamor for the further investigation of “Willing Willie” and called on media networks to lay down and strictly enforce measures to ensure that game show participants predominantly belonging to the poor sector would not be exploited.
Fr. Edu Gariguez, executive secretary of the CBCP National Secretariat for Social Action (Nassa), also said appropriate intervention and assistance should be extended to the 6-year-old and his family.
“Only by examining carefully the many elements that gave rise to the controversy can a clear-sighted assessment of critical issues be [made] and liable persons meted out the appropriate penalty under our laws of human rights and child protection,” he said.
Gariguez also said the CBCP-Nassa shared the public dismay over the spectacle of the boy gyrating in front of an “insensitive host.”
“The management and the host of the show brought shame not only to [the boy] and his parents but to media practitioners in general,” Gariguez said.
Statements condemning the controversial episode of “Willing Willie” had earlier been issued by the Department of Social Welfare and Development, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) and the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB), which is looking into the case.
Call to parents, TV viewers
Msgr. Pedro Quitorio, the CBCP media director, said that even in providing entertainment, the media should exercise its freedom carefully and responsibly.
“We are part of forming the people’s sentiments, opinions and even culture,” Quitorio said in an interview with reporters.
He described the incident involving the 6-year-old as “exploitation,” and said that even if the show had good intentions, it also had its “improprieties.”
Quitorio said the show’s producer and director should be discerning in behalf of the host, who, he said, might have gone beyond the desire to entertain people.
“Even the members of the audience, who were seen laughing, may have failed to see things objectively because they were eaten up by the whole thing,” Quitorio said.
Gariguez appealed to parents to “remain steadfast” in their commitment to provide a safe environment, a loving home and the best care for their children.
“It is your noble task to not only provide for their temporal needs but also nourish their minds and souls,” he said.
Gariguez urged TV viewers to learn from the incident and take it as an opportunity to examine their values and beliefs.
“May we not become just passive recipients of entertainment and information from media channels but become critical of what is being offered to us by the media,” he said.
Moral responsibility
Revillame has been at the receiving end of criticism for “child abuse.”
He got more of the same on Friday, this time from the National Council for Children’s Television (NCCT), an attached agency of the Department of Education.
“As public figure and host of a widely viewed TV program, Revillame should have a moral and social responsibility to the audience. This includes being more sensitive to the feeling of the young and to the sensibility of the viewing public in general,” NCCT Executive Director Frank Rivera said in a statement.
He cited the 1997 Children’s Television Act, which mandates television networks “to promote child-friendly programs with no elements that may result in physical, mental and emotional harm” to children.
Rivera called on TV networks “to be more sensitive on its shows portraying children” and to comply with laws protecting children from exploitation.
The NCCT, an agency mandated to monitor and ensure child-friendly TV, said it was coordinating with the MTRCB “for any punitive actions and sanctions deemed fit” for Revillame’s show.
‘Attacking the culture’
On the phone with the Inquirer, CHR Chair Loretta Rosales said it was not just the 6-year-old but also other children whom the commission was seeking to protect.
She said the CHR would host a dialogue with stakeholders to come up with a position against practices that victimize children and a plan to prevent similar incidents from taking place.
Rosales acknowledged that the incident in the March 12 episode of “Willing Willie” was similar to occurrences in other events and shows.
“It’s a culture and we’ll be attacking the culture,” Rosales said, adding:
“We’re using the [‘Willing Willie’] incident as a starting point. We’re not just zeroing in on [the 6-year-old]. It’s much bigger than [him].”
According to Rosales, instances where children are persuaded to dance suggestively dehumanize them and make them into commodities.
Another video of children dancing suggestively, this time from an episode of ABS-CBN’s “Showtime,” was uploaded on YouTube early this week. The video showed young girls in short skirts and midriff-baring tops gyrating on the dance floor.
Rosales said the CHR was willing to look into other incidents of child exploitation in TV shows, but added that it would also be good if specific complaints were filed. Reports from Marinel R. Cruz, Jocelyn R. Uy, Tarra Quismundo and Leila B. Salaverria