My husband, lawyer for private citizens’ child abuse complaint against Willie Revillame

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Child abuse casts a shadow the length of a lifetime. –Herbert Ward

Remember the child abuse complaint filed against Willie Revillame two weeks ago? I am one of the co-complainants from the third suit filed by concerned citizens that includes Froilan Grate, Peachy Bretana, , and Fr. Robert Reyes. Yesterday was the first preliminary hearing of the the three child abuse charges against Willie Revillame. You can read more about the details here.

Of course, my husband was willing to be my lawyer. This is the first time my husband will act as my lawyer (and of the three other complainants) and this will certainly be interesting.

Apparently, Willie Revillame will be back on air this Saturday, May 14, with a new, refurbished offering. TV5 announced that Willie’s show will have a new title “Wil Time Bigtime,” which will occupy the timeslot of its predecessor, “Willing Willie.” MTRCB decision, page 8, under PENALTIES states that Willing Willie and any program created in its stead with the same format and genre is to be put on a per broadcast permit basis. That means the new refurbished show will still be closely monitored by MTRCB.

I am optimistic the justice system will act on our child abuse complaints and decide within 60 days whether our complaints will go to trial.

So you ask why am I doing this? Bob Ney explains it well. There “is nothing more vicious and outrageous than the abuse, exploitation and harm of the most vulnerable members of our society, and I firmly believe that our nation’s laws and resources need to reflect the seriousness of these terrible crimes.” Andrea Ingram adds that “it is not surprising that we need to do more. I mean, this is child abuse. There is always more to be done.”

“The stigma of child abuse is still apparent here. (It’s) kind of like the road less traveled. Turns out it was the road all of us should have been taking all along. ~ Cindy Winstead

The world’s reaction on the death of Osama Bin Laden

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“A Christian never rejoices in the death of a man”. Vatican

I read the news in Twitter at 10:46 AM. In fact, Twitter is the first to break the news. Osama Bin Laden Dead. Wow, my first reaction. How did he die?

I couldn’t believe it at first but I saw reputable news organizations tweeting about his death. Apparently Obama “Osama bin Laden was killed in a CIA operation in Pakistan. President Obama announced the news, ending years-long manhunt for the leader of al-Qaeda and architect of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on New York City and Washington, according to multiple sources.” Former President Bush in his statement ” congratulated him (President Obama) and the men and women of our military and intelligence communities who devoted their lives to this mission.”

As always, I curated twitter reactions to see the pulse. In most deaths I encounter, there is outpouring of sadness and sympathy . Osama Bin Laden’s death is quite different. At least in my timeline, I did not see signs of mourning.

Initial reactions are of disbelief then tweets of joy and relief. There are no “rest in peace” tweets so far.

“While the Holy See pointed out the role Bin Laden had played in the “[promotion of] division and hatred between people,” they also pointed out that “a Christian never rejoices” in the death of a man.

I don’t feel any sense of joy but relief that he is finally caught. Even Martin Luther King Jr. does not agree with rejoicing a death. (Update- this quote is fake)

I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.

The Vatican further clarifies that:

“Faced with the death of a man, a Christian never rejoices but reflects on the serious responsibility of each and every one of us before God and before man, and hopes and commits himself so that no event be an opportunity for further growth of hatred, but for peace,”

Most reactions in Twitter prove otherwise.

My friend Sophie says “fairytale royal wedding,beatification of a wonderful Pope,and the world’s #1 terrorist gone.Is this a sign that there are better days ahead?”

I dont care how “evil” osama bin laden was; i dont see how anyone can ever celebrate the death of another human being :/

OSAMA BIN LADEN IS DEAD! YEAAAAHH YEAAAH YEAH YEAH! ITS A PARTY IN THE USA!

Oh well I hope osama rests in pieces.

Finally after all these years! Osama Bin laden is dead! Good job troops! But sorry this world still isn’t safe!

Blessed Pope John Paul II , Osama Bin Laden is dead.

To give you an idea of how the story unfolded, here is a story from ABC news.

What I found interesting is reading the tweets of @ReallyVirtual not knowing it was the raid on Osama Bin Laden. I curated his timeline to see how the story unfolded and to see it happen as he hears it .

Filing a child abuse complaint against Willie Revillame

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Remember my article Discovering Tranquility in Luijoe Meadow? I felt something good was going to happen. Positive developments on the resolution of the Willing Willie incident looked promising. During the Holy Week, I received news that a child advocacy group would file a complaint of child abuse against Willie Revillame. I kept the good news to myself.

What I did not expect is I would actually be a co-complainant in a suit filed by DSWD Secretary Dinky Soliman. Together with ““running priest” Fr. Robert Reyes, environmentalist Froilan G. Grate, advertising executive Frances Irene Bretana, and myself, we filed separate but joint complaint-affidavits before the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office, charging Willie Revillame for violation of the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act (Republic Act 7610).

Sure I had plans to file a complaint against Willie Revillame but I was awaiting a formal report from the Commission of Human Rights.

Trying to keep the issue burning, I initiated a ““blog and twitter carnival” in which people online are invited to write articles and express their views about the controversial March 12 incident concerning the crying dancing boy. The blog carnival began on April 18 and ends tomorrow April 28. Not many seemed interested to blog and instead chose to tweet their views.

I was afraid the child abuse issue would die down after the holidays. As I said earlier, this Willing Willie episode erupted to such madness that it zapped so much energy from me. I got sick for two days with one day totally bed-ridden. My immune system must have gone haywire. I knew I just had to be tranquil for a day. I needed to let go when things are just beyond my control.

I prayed hard to Luijoe to show me the light. The image of the crying boy just could not leave my mind. I must do something. If filing the case was not meant to be, I will accept it. Even if Luijoe is not around, I still talk to him. I told him about the six year old boy. “What should I do Luijoe?” Is filing the complaint a good step? Then I lifted my prayer to God.

Truly, God is faithful. Yesterday, I got word from End Child Abuse Community Facebook administrators Froilan Grate and Frances Irene Bretaña that we could be co-complainants in a suit filed by DSWD Secretary Dinky Soliman.

I yelled “I am in.”

Today we walked the talk . We filed this child abuse complaint so we could speak in behalf of the children who have no voices.

This is not about networks. This is not about Willie alone. This is about our children, the future citizens of our country.

I will now let the Courts take care of this as I cannot make comments anymore on the complaint and Willie after today.

Every child deserves a nurturing family and a safe environment, free from fear, abuse, and neglect. Parents, guardians, relatives, and neighbors all share a responsibility to prevent these devastating crimes, and our government plays a critical role as well.

Your children are not your children…

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Ang inyong anak ay hindi ninyo anak, sila’y mga anak na lalaki at babae ng buhay. Bagama’t nanggaling sa inyo, sila’y hindi inyo – L.Bautista

That Tagalog quote is actually taken from the poem “On Children” by Kahlil Gibran.

Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them,
but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

You are the bows from which your children
as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,
and He bends you with His might
that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer’s hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies,
so He loves also the bow that is stable.

I am once again reminded of the recent events in Willing Willie and the alleged child abuse and coincidentally, the Child Abuse Prevention and Awareness month that is observed in the United States. I am often reminded that a child’s dignity and respect must never be violated.

It boggles the mind that the Willing Willie producers, Willie Revillame , the parents of the boy and even TV 5 Manila do not see anything wrong with that March 12 incident. They can claim that they had no intention to exploit the kid, but in any case of CHILD ABUSE, the INTENT of the abuser is IRRELEVANT.

There is not much I can do with regards to the programming aspect of Willing Willie. The child abuse incident is being taken cared of by DSWD and the Commission of Human Rights. The MTRCB is in taking charge of the possible violations of the program.

What I can do is raise awareness on child abuse prevention.

I believe our children are the country’s most valuable resource, and they need our support to thrive and grow into healthy, productive adults.

Every child deserves a nurturing family and a safe environment, free from fear, abuse, and neglect. Parents, guardians, relatives, and neighbors all share a responsibility to prevent these devastating crimes, and our government plays a critical role as well.

Please speak for our children.

Join the Blog Carnival

It will help if we can first raise awareness among ourselves. Speak out about child abuse issues. Raise child abuse awareness by writing in your blogs be it a self-hosted blog, blogger, wordpress, tumblr or facebook note. All of your posts will be placed together in a blog post called a “carnival”. A Blog Carnival is, at its heart, a themed collection of permalinks to other blog posts.

Here is how

1. The blog entry can be a personal experience, a commentary, proposals to raise awareness on child protection laws. If you do not have a blog, you can also post here at blogwatch.tv Just register at http://blogwatch.tv/wp-register.php

2. Once your blog entry is posted , submit the link to the Blog carnival.

Video: Goodbye Willie Revillame for good?

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Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. It’s the only thing that ever has. -Margaret Mead

I had a long day. At 10:00 AM, I was informed that Unilever pulled out ads in all live game shows in all networks. Excited beyond belief, I was about to tweet when I got another message to hold off announcement until 5:00 PM. Exciting. I tweeted everyone to await positive developments.

Then the bombshell. Unilever made a bold move in addition to its pullout. Unilever Philippines said they will continue to positively influence the media landscape and work on strengthening our long-standing partnership with all TV networks. I think there was a domino effect. Before I could say hello Willie…your days are numbered… Cebuana Lhuillier, CDO, Nutri-Asia followed suit. Yes, a bandwagon effect.

By 6:30, while attending a birthday celebration with college classmates I was tipped off to turn on Willing Willie. He had an important announcement. The show took forever to end. Finally at 9:30, he delivers this dramatic spiel. See video below :

I cannot believe what he said. He was just unapologetic. (read transcript) He claims he will be on leave to reflect. Let us check his quotable quotes (via Gary Orense):

    Napakasakit ng ginawa sa akin ng Procter and Gamble, ng Mang Inasal. Pero hindi ako hihingi ng tawad. Wala akong ginawang masama.” -Willie

    Willie: Ginawa n’yo na nga akong kriminal. Kayo nga ang lumabas sa gate, mamigay kayo ng pera. Yan dapat ang ginagawa nyo!

    Tinira ako nina Aiza, LeaSalonga, JimPareders, Leah Navarro, Tuesday, Bianca Gonzales, ano ang nagawa nila sa sambayanang Pilipino?- Willie

    “Aiza Seguerra, magpakalalaki ka. Bata ka pa nagtatrabaho ka, di ba exploitation yan?” – Willie Revillame

    “Agot Isidro, wala ka pang anak hinuhusgahan mo na ako.” – Willie Revillame

    Willie: “Kayo ba ang nag-donate ng isang milyon sa Bantay Bata?”

    Willie: Dahil ba sinuportahan ko si Sen. Manny Villar? I’ll stick with him. Dahil orange ba ang kulay ko kaya pinag-iinitan nyo ako?

    Willie Revillame: “Starting Monday hanggang Holy week, pag-iisipan ko muna kung babalik ako sa industriyang ito.”

    Willie Revillame: Wag kayong magalit sa MTRCB. Tatlong board member nila connected sa ABSCBN.

    Willie: DSWD, kunin nyo ang mga bata sa kalye. Human Rights chairman, tulungan nyo ang kababayan sa ibang bansa.

    Willie Revillame: Nangangako po ako kahit wala kaming commercials, kahit isakripisyo ko po ang sweldo ko kasama ang TV5.

    Willie: Hihingi ako ng tulong kay Mr. Manny Pangilinan, kahit malugi kami basta makapagbigay kami ng saya.

    Willie: Kahit idemanda ako ng ABS-CBN hindi ako natatakot. May lalabas na witnesses.

    Willie: Sa mga tumitira sa akin sa Twitter, ididemanda kita!

    Willie: Mawawala kami ng dalawang linggo. Mahal na mahal ko kayo. Ipagdasal nyong makabalik pa ang programa.

Wow, how humble he is !

Seriously, without advertisers, there is no show. I am so tired and I will just continue writing my thoughts tomorrow…For now,t I want you to read the Twitter reactions. Willie is mad at the “attack” against him.

For now, thank you advertisers …Jollibee , Unilever, Procter & Gamble, CDO, Cebu Lhuillier, Nutri-Asia and Del Monte for choosing the side of decency and good programming.

(to be continued)

Let a child be a child

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I had no idea what awaited me that Sunday afternoon as I clicked on a Youtube link provided by a concerned blogger who wanted me to write about it. My heart broke as I watched a six-year-old kid gyrating like a macho dancer on the variety show ““Willing Willie,” with TV host

Willie Revillame making fun of him and the audience amused beyond belief. It was truly sickening. I cried as I watched the boy’s pained facial expression. I couldn’t take it anymore. The first thought that ran through my head was, ““Could this be a violation of Republic Act No. 7610, or the ‘Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act’ Section 3 (b)?”

What I witnessed was Willie repeatedly humiliating a boy in front of millions of people tuned in to the TV station. Where is the dignity in that? Why did he allow the boy to  dance like a male Chippendale dancer for the general public entertainment? The adults who taught him to dance that way? Ugh, the very same people responsible for his well-being.

This incident reminded me of Human Rights Day last year when I wrote on ““Who will speak up for our children?“. A conversation with a friend made me realize that our kids don’t have a voice unless an adult speaks up for them. When a child is caught in a tussle when their parents are hitting each other, who will speak for this child? A child can be silently suffering from domestic abuse, bullying and corporal punishment. In the Willing Willie episode, who will speak up for this six-year-old boy who cried as he gyrated to the music? The fear and embarrassment written in his eyes was undeniable. I wanted to hug him and rescue him from his discomfort and tell the boy that he didn’t have to do that dance.

continue reading at UNBLOGGED

Letter to Manny V. Pangilinan from DSWD Sec Soliman

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This letter is response to my entry Willie Revillame humiliates a crying 6 year old boy. You might also be interested to read an Open Letter to Jan-Jan.

March 28, 2011

MR. MANNY V. PANGILINAN
Chairman
ABC Development Corporation

Dear Mr. Pangilinan:

This is with regard to the 12 March 2011 episode of your show ““Willing Willie”, which was brought to my attention by several concerned citizens and groups. In the said episode, a six year-old boy named Jan-Jan Estrada was made to repeatedly perform dance moves usually done by adult dancers in indecent shows. The poor child was in tears and looked scared the entire time, as show host Willie Revillame poked fun at him and the audience laughed and cheered.

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A letter to Jan-Jan

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Jan-Jan is the 6 year old boy who was dancing and crying in Willie Revillame’s show. This is a letter written by my good friend, Cathy Guballa . I have posted it here with her permission.

Dearest Jan-jan,

My heart broke as I watched you cry on television. You should never have been there in the first place. There are many people to blame for the humiliation that you went through. What took place should have never happened if people had been doing their jobs, if people had only known better.

First of all, I cannot understand how your tita would teach you to dance that way!! You are only six years old and what do you know about the world? I’m sure you are a very bright, sensitive, and talented little boy, that much I could see. That’s another reason why it was so painful for me to watch you suffer. You were, in fact, the only one in that studio who knew that what was happening was so very wrong. You rely on your parents and your guardians to take care of you. They need to ensure that you grow up to become healthy in mind, body and spirit. But by allowing you to suffer that way, they miserably failed you.

It’s not all about the money, Jan-jan. The dignity of every child must be upheld. By allowing you to perform that way, they trampled on you and made you feel so small. I could see the fear and embarrassment in your eyes. It was undeniable. If there was only some way to rescue you from that moment, I’m sure every parent worth their salt would have done so.
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Willie Revillame humiliates a crying 6 year old boy as he dances

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This is just so disgusting. Willie Revillame, you are the lowest of the low.

I watched this video of a six year boy crying as he danced in Willie Revillame’s show. Watch as Willie laughs and picks on the poor boy (removed video now)

My heart just goes out to him.

jan-jan1

My friend, a mother herself asks :

What have we become as a people if we consider the humiliation of a helpless six year old boy as entertainment? Of course the issue also goes back to the family — why in heaven’s name would you teach a six year old to dance that way? My heart broke as I watched the expression on this little boy’s face.

@iamhappyamy tells me in Twitter” @momblogger a kid gyrating like a macho dancer, willie making fun of him, the audience enjoying – truly sickening!” @yeahred adds “Letting a kid dance sensually on national television (and enjoying it) is very inhuman. Willie Revillame, you’re such a disgrace.”

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Want to help or donate to Japan?

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My heart just go out to the victims of the Japan earthquake and tsunami. The massive quake and tsunami left more than 1,000 dead. Some 300-400 bodies were recovered in Rikuzentakata, a coastal town of some 23,000 people. Around 10,000 people also remained unaccounted for in the Japanese port town of Minamisanriku in quake-hit Miyagi prefecture.

survivor-earthquake

In the Philippines, here is how to donate through the Philippine Red Cross.

Celebrities have offered avenues for help. Lady Gaga says “Designed a Japan Prayer Bracelet. Buy It/Donate here and ALL proceeds will go to Tsunami Relief Efforts”. Even Boyz II Men offered help “Please Help us support our friends in Japan. Anything U can give will help! Boyz II Men Japan Relief “. Apple now accepts donations to Red Cross Japan relief fund via iTunes .

Here are many ways to help. I will update the list as more offers to help comes.
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