“When we are unable to find tranquillity within ourselves, it is useless to seek it elsewhere.” Francois de La Rochefoucauld
Discovering a tranquil peace at Luijoe meadow leaves me energized and comforted. Luijoe’s grandparents named this “Luijoe meadow”, a playground to frolic at their mountain residence in Benguet. They had named this lovely meadow after their only grandson, Luijoe even before my son passed away in May 27, 2000.
Luijoe meadow somewhere in Benguet
It was Holy Week in 2000 when we all vacationed in this picturesque pine valley hideaway. My energetic young man wasn’t in the mood to have his photo taken by Luijoe meadow then but I insisted. He was in a hurry to run around and just be. That Holy Week was well spent talking about the death of Jesus on the Cross, the comfort of Mary by John the Apostle and more. I didn’t know my son was preparing me for his death a few weeks later.
Painting on the wall of Church of Holy Sacrifice, UP Campus
My son’s death reminds me that life on Earth is fleeting that there is far more meaningful tasks that need to be accomplished before the promise of eternal life. There are poignant memories that comfort me today. Luijoe often gave me a hug and reminded me before bedtime. “Mom you haven’t prayed”. I catch myself during chaotic situations, praying to God for serenity. I remember my son’s gentle reminder and lift my problems in prayer.
So when he had washed their feet and put his garments back on and reclined at table again, he said to them, ““Do you realize what I have done for you?” (John 13:12)
At the St. Francis Chapel inside Padre Pio Center in Libis
The Holy Week is always special to me as I recall my last Lenten holiday with my son 11 years ago. Every year since I lost my beloved son, I often reflect about the meaning of my life and the death of my son. It gives me comfort to pray. My son often reminded me to pray when he was alive so when things are really down, a prayer is enough to calm my nerves.
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.
Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal.
The first thing I do when I wake up is read my tweets. The RIP AJ Perez was most prominent in my timeline. Who is AJ Perez? I found out that AJ Perez was the lone fatality of an accident in Tarlac. AJ was declared dead on arrival by a hospital in Paniqui shortly after the accident took place at 12:10 a.m due to 2 multple head injuries. Read More →
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.
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.
“Every maternal death is an event we can avoid and one that we should never allow to happen.” Fatima Bakire, MD, Dosso Regional Hospital
People attending last week’s church sponsored anti Reproductive Health bill rally actually believed abortion is part of the bill. I can accept people who are against the RH Bill because of their religious views. What I find unacceptable is spreading misinformation about it.
I wonder why the label ““pro-life” is assumed by those against the Reproductive Health Bill (RH Bill). Am I anti-life if I support the RH Bill? Am I immoral? Why do bishops call it the demonic RH Bill? Can’t God be the judge of that?
If they claim they are pro-life, why do they wish ill of RH backers? Why do they play ““audio messages, one of which features a lola character wishing lightning would strike lawmakers backing the bill?
How can these holier-than-thou know each RH advocate? Do they know …?
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.
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. Read More →
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.
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.”
