Dancing inmates get ad offer, but Cebu gov thumbs it down
Not just the long-time choreographer of King of Pop Michael Jackson was drawn to the dancing inmates of Cebu. Amid their online fame, the detainees of the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC) have received a P250,000 offer to endorse a detergent product, according to report by Radio dzBBâs Cebu affiliate. But the report said Governor Gwendolyn Garcia was not keen on âcommercializing" the inmates, who first became popular in cyberspace after videos of their dance numbers landed on sharing site YouTube. The report quoted Garcia as saying that she did not want the inmates' image "cheapened." She, however, clarified that she does not object to the inmates being featured in documentary programs on television.
For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV GMANews.TV tried to reach Governor Garcia and her brother, Byron, who runs the penitentiary and who also serves as the provincial governmentâs consultant on security. Last January, Jacksonâs choreographer Travis Payne visited the CPDRC and taught the inmates âThe Drill," the last choreography Payne and Jackson collaborated on before the King of Pop died in June 2009. The number was included in the DVD and Blu-Ray copies of the Jackson documentary, "This Is It." - with Sophia Dedace/RSJ/LBG, GMANews.TV