Judicial process a circus

WELL-KNOWN TV host Willie Revillame has been ordered arrested on child abuse charges after the Court of Appeals affirmed a lower court decision finding him liable for violating a law protecting children from exploitation.

The case stemmed from an episode of Revillame’s game show in 2011 where a 6-year-old boy was made to perform a dance using sexy moves on nationwide television.

Revillame goaded the boy into performing the dance for a P10,000 cash prize. The boy, apparently overcome with shyness, later cried.

Let me play the devil’s advocate: Why was Revillame singled out?

Why weren’t the staff of the game show and the TV station not included in the child exploitation case?

Why weren’t the boy’s parents not included in the filing of the child exploitation case?

The answer is simple: The Quezon City judge who issued an arrest warrant against Revillame, Roberto Buenaventura, wanted his 15-minutes of fame.

Judge Buenaventura zeroed in on Revillame—and not on the others who took part in “exploiting” the child—because the TV host is famous.

For all we know, Revillame didn’t know that a 6-year-old child would be presented on the portion of his TV program which featured children showing off their talents in various ways.

Let’s not be hypocrites.

There are children who perform acrobatic acts in circus, but why isn’t the circus management charged with child exploitation?

The answer is simple: The circus management is not as famous as Revillame.

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This is the same Court of Appeals which upheld the decision of then Bulacan Regional Trial Court Judge Andres Soriano who meted out a life sentence on a quadriplegic for rape years ago.

A quadriplegic is a person who is unable to move or feel in both arms and legs because of an illness or injury.

Jeff Quesada, the paralytic, cannot even hold a spoon and use the toilet without two strong persons placing his butt on the bowl.

So how could he have committed rape?

But Judge Soriano, who saw his condition, still convicted him of rape! To top it all, the appellate court affirmed Quesada’s conviction!

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Many people who have read Jeff Quesada’s conviction in this space for the nth time will no doubt say that I sound like a broken record.

I don’t care what they say.

I want to point out that in this country, the judicial process is sometimes a circus.

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In flood-prone areas, people can take refuge from the floods in an SM supermall if there is one in their city or town.

The SM mall in Cabanatuan City became a shelter  to 375 people whose houses were flooded at the height of Typhoon “Lando.”

The flood victims were not only provided with shelter, they were also given light snacks and bottled water.

Charging stations for their cell phones were also provided so they could call their friends and relatives to let them know they were safe.

In Baguio City, Olongapo City, San Fernando City in Pampanga and Rosales in Pangasinan, SM malls opened their basement parking lots to people whose cars were in danger of being inundated with flood water at the height of Lando’s fury.

Hans Sy, president of SM Holdings which has supervision over all SM malls in the country, has made it his company’s mission to accept flood refugees during typhoons.

Sy is giving back to the community or “paying it forward,” said a close aide of the business tycoon.