Garcia snubs P250,000 ad offer

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia yesterday said that the dancing inmates at Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center should not be allowed to promote products to end insinuations that they are being used for business.

Garcia told reporters that she turned down the offer of a soap company to use the dancing inmates for their commercials in exchange for P250,000.

According to Garcia, the dancing inmates can perform for documentaries and other television programs, but they cannot do product endorsements.

The governor said there is a need to introduce some limitations on the inmates who are now known worldwide after dancing to “Thriller” by the late Michael Jackson.

She also said that all activities inside the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center should have proper coordination with her office.

“Usahay man gud mahibawo na lang kita sa mga kalihukan diha sa sulod sa CPDRC kon mamantala na sa radio ingon man mabalita sa newspaper ug television,” said Garcia.

Garcia further said that she also wants all donations, especially cash donations, properly issued receipts to avoid problems in the future.

Governor Garcia’s brother Byron originally wanted to introduce a program at CPDRC where inmates would exercise for an hour each day.

But Garcia saw waves of prisoners in the exercise yard and thought it looked good.

He also claims in a British documentary that his inspiration came while watching the 1994 movie The Shawshank Redemption.

Garcia initially introduced an exercise program where the prisoners marched in unison, starting out with marching to the beat of a drum, but moved on to dancing to pop music. He began with one of his favorite songs, Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall”.

After Michael Jackson’s death last year, they performed a tribute to Jackson in front of hundreds of spectators. Around 1,500 CPDRC inmates performed an entire nine-and-a-half minute show of choreographed dance moves to various Jackson songs.

The dancing inmates put the show together just 10 hours after receiving word that Jackson had died. — Jose P. Sollano/BRP   (FREEMAN NEWS)