Child rights group files raps vs Willie Revillame, others

A group of child rights advocates on Monday filed child abuse complaint against TV host Willie Revillame and six others in connection with the controversy involving a six-year-old boy who was allegedly made to gyrate on national TV in exchange for cash. The group that called itself Stop Child Rights Exploitation in Media (SCREAM) said the respondents violated Republic Act 7610 (Special Protection of Children Against Child Abuse), RA 9775 (An Act Defining the Crime of Child Pornography), and RA 9231 (An Act Providing for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labor). The seven-page complaint was filed with the Quezon City Prosecutor's Office. Aside from Revillame, host of TV5’s prime time show “Willing Willie," the other respondents were Rey Espinosa, TV5 president and CEO; Roberto Barreiro, executive vice president and CEO; Manuel Pangilinan, co-producer and chair of Associated Broadcasting Company; Jojo Jardeleza, director; Rackie Sevilla, executive producer; and Adrian Gret, segment producer. The case stemmed from the alleged exploitation of Jan-Jan Suan during the March 12 episode of “Willing Willie" where he, despite being teary-eyed, was made to dance several times in a sexually provocative manner in front of a live audience. Sought for comment, the camp of Revillame welcomed the filing of the complaint, saying it would provide them with a proper forum to answer the accusations against them. They also denied abusing Jan-Jan Suan. “The boy is well and fine. If only those who are quick to condemn Willie would only view the entire 48 minutes TV episode of the boy and not view merely the spliced and tampered YouTube tape, they will be enlightened and spare the boy the stigma of unjustly branding him as an ‘abused child’ for the rest of his life," said Leonard de Vera, Revillame’s legal counsel, in a text message to reporters. The complainants, however, said the respondents “degraded" Jan-Jan Suan by offering him P10,000 after “humiliating and mocking" him. “That the respondents used the boy in the subject game show for purposes of profit and benefit, by giving, rewarding and paying him P10,000 for his participation and performance and humiliating and mocking the boy, thereby degrading the boy's intrinsic worth and dignity as a human being and exposing him to circumstances that are harmful to his safety and morals," the group said in its complaint. It added that the “degrading exhibition is compounded by the cruelty of the show's main host, Revillame, who kept on egging the boy, mocking his performance and exclaiming amidst the laughter of the jeering crowd." The group likewise accused the other respondents of failing to stop the offending acts from occurring and continuing, “thereby cooperating in the commission of, and perpetuating the offensive acts to the prejudice of the boy." By allowing the boy to dance like a “macho dancer," the group said the respondents — particularly the network’s officials — allowed TV5 to become the “extension of bars and brothels facilitating the prostitution of children." “Willing Willie" was suspended for two weeks following the controversy, which resulted in some sponsors pulling out their advertisements from the show. - KBK, GMA News