DTI, Senate urged to probe 'Wowowee' contest row

(Updated 4:21 p.m.) An organization calling itself the "Tanglaw ng Bayan" has urged the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Senate to probe the alleged rigging of a game segment on ABS-CBN's variety show, "Wowowee." The group on Friday faxed to radio station dzBB their letter addressed to DTI Secretary Peter Favila dated August 27 this year. Also on Friday, radio station dzBB reported that the group's spokesman Bayani Santos Jr delivered a similar letter to the office of Sen. Manuel "Mar" Roxas II, chair of the Senate trade and commerce committee. Expressing "grave concern" over the matter, Tanglaw ng Bayan urged Favila to conduct "an immediate, fair and impartial probe" on the "Wilyonaryo" game segment controversy. Santos Jr said in the letter that the DTI investigation would help "protect the general public from possible deceptions and manipulations inimical to their general welfare and interest." "Particularly alarming is the apparent lapse on the part of Wowowee host Mr Willie Revillame which now triggers the question as to whether or not the chance and fate of the contestants in the 'Wilyonaryo' segment is actually under the direct control of Mr Revillame," the letter read. A check with staff members at the DTI's Bureau of Trade Regulation and Consumer Protection, the department's legal assistance group and Favila's office showed that Tanglaw ng Bayan's letter has not been received as of posting time. The Tanglaw ng Bayan letter was dated a week after the August 20 incident and days before Revillame and "Eat Bulaga" host Joey de Leon started to trade barbs. The DTI on Thursday told GMA News that it may only investigate game show segments if these involved the purchase of products. For his part, Roxas expressed willingness to instigate a probe on the controversy, but added that he would file a petition only after getting information from the DTI and other concerned parties. Tanglaw ng Bayan said: "We refer to the portion where Mr Revillame is supposed to disclose the wheel that contains the winning P2 million jackpot price [sic]. The television camera faithfully recorded the incident which showed that when the supposed winning wheel was uncovered, it contained a "zero" instead of "2" referring to the major jackpot price [sic]." "The camera also recorded Mr Revillame's lapse when he admitted that the 'zero' appearing on the face of the wheel was a mistake. He followed the admission by surfacing the '2' sign which appeared to have been pasted at the back of the wheel all the while," it added. Responding to criticisms over the alleged cheating, Revillame said there was no problem with "Wilyonaryo" since nobody was complaining. Tanglaw ng Bayan said the investigations would help determine if it was in Revillame's "power to decide" the outcome of the "Wilyonaryo" game. It also expressed concerns if the contestants were actually "under an illusion that pure luck or destiny" would determine their chances of winning. "And if such be the case, wouldn't Mr Revillame's contests be mere charades that are taking undue advantage of the public's impression that the contests are fair and not manipulated?" Tanglaw ng Bayan asked. ABS-CBN Network said the incident was an "honest mistake" that happened because of a mechanical problem. Santos is the head of the journalism department of the Manuel Luis Quezon University in Manila City. He insisted on dzBB radio that he was not partisan to GMA Network or Eat Bulaga, adding that he would pursue similar investigations should these two entities find themselves on the receiving end of allegations on game show "cheating." Eat Bulaga airs over GMA Network Inc. GMANews.TV is the official website of GMA News and Public Affairs, a unit of GMA Network Inc. - GMANews.TV