What Willie's critics should do. What DSWD is doing for kids

I agree with Lea Salonga.

“The last time I looked,” she said in her Twitter, “we are in a democracy and every body is free to express his opinion.”

That she did, not just on the controversial RH Bill but also on the raging Willing Willie issue, saying that she saw her daughter Nicole in the face of Janjan who unwittingly generated a monster controversy with his macho dancing on the show. A friend hoped that Lea would also see Janjan in the faces of the poor and hungry streetkids all over the metropolis who perhaps badly need more help than the “exploited” Janjan.

I’m following Lea’s example so I’m also practising democracy and expressing my own opinion.

Since we are a nation of sawsaweros and sawsaweras, usiseros and usiseras, it was expected that everybody would put in his two-cents’ worth, including those who began hurling darts and invectives at show host Willie Revillame even if they must have watched only the spliced version of the March 12 episode and not the whole sequence that lasted for nearly 20 minutes.

Even Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, not wanting to be left behind, has joined fray as the newest sawsawero even if, the way I see it, he will be more effective in helping Janjan and “exploited” kids like Janjan in the halls of the Senate and not in the Twitter. Yes, I voted for him and I, like others who did, have all the right to expect him to “do something” except just render mere lip service. How does that saying go again — put your money where your mouth is?

I have a feeling that if that boy (whose father happened to be a Waray-Waray like Boy Abunda, Bibeth Orteza, Tessie Tomas and me) did that blown-out-of-proportion dance in a lesser known show, nobody would have made a fuss about it. But then, he did it on a show hosted by the controversial Willie whose every move and every word, as in the case of Kris Aquino, spawns a tsunami of protests. When Kris coughs, the whole country catches pneumonia. When Willie burps, the so-called “highbrow” sector raises its collective eyebrows even as Willie’s legions of supporters from the masa cheer him right on!

As Willie is being roasted (“Sinisipa maski nakadapa na,” as Richard Gomez aptly put it during his appearance on last Sunday’s Paparazzi), his past “sins” are being dug up, including that unfortunate incident in August 2009 when he lost his temper when a film clip of former Pres. Cory Aquino’s burial was flashed on the screen while Willie and the contestants were shouting in glee during one of the show’s saya-saya portion.

The truth is that, according to somebody close to Willie, Willie didn’t want to go “live” that day, suggesting that the whole show be devoted to the Cory burial since, the Funfare informer quoted Willie as saying then, “Mahal ko ang Aquino family at gusto kong makiramay sa kanya.” But no, still according to the informer, “ABS-CBN executive Linggit Tan said, ‘Sayang naman ang kikitain sa commercial,” so...”Willie was caught by surprise when the clip of Cory’s burial was shown and he lost his cool, saying “Alisin mo ‘yan, alisin mo ‘yan!” Because he is Willie, he incurred the ire of the public and, didn’t he get suspended for it? (Note: Funfare texted Linggit Tan for her reaction but she didn’t reply.)

DSWD Sec. Dinky Soliman: Brought together by the ‘Janjan’ controversy

I agree with STAR Associate Editor Marichu Villanueva who wrote in her Commonsense column last Monday: The real criminals here are the enterprising people who were behind in spreading an edited clip and downloaded it in YouTube. After making splices here and there, voila! The edited version spread like wildfire in the social networking. Then, there came the hue and cry for Janjan’s plight.

Since the Willing Willie case is now being investigated and deliberated upon by the proper authorities (led by MTRCB Chief Grace Poe-Llamanzares who is admirable in her cool, level-headed way of conducting it), don’t we all wish that the “trial by tweeting” be put to rest and everybody just wait for the verdict?

Meanwhile, I hope that his critics/detractors will join Willie in a sincere effort to help the real exploited children, even as the government agencies are drawing up guidelines for the protection of children especially those appearing in movies and television. Maybe they should rally behind what DSWD Dinky Soliman is doing as shown in the following rejoinder letter to Funfare:

April 11, 2011

Mr. Ricardo F. Lo

Entertainment Columnist

“Funfare”

The Philippine STAR

Port Area, Manila

Dear Mr. Lo:

We read with appreciation your April 2 column entitled “What about the street kids, Sec. Dinky?” published in the Philippine STAR. In your column you gave favorable comments on the efforts of the DSWD and other concerned groups regarding the rights of the six-year-old boy in the Willing Willie episode on March 12.

On this note, we would like to share with you the DSWD’s initiatives regarding street children. To begin with, the regular rescue operations as immediate intervention are being conducted by the local government units (LGUs), which also conduct the home visits and coordination with the parents to assess the situation of the street children, in line with their devolved functions.    

The DSWD, on the other hand, is a member of the Task Force that rescues street children headed by the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) together with the City Social Welfare Department (CSWD) in each city, Philippine National Police (PNP) and barangay police, in the National Capital Region. Similar set-up is present in highly urbanized areas with reported high incidence of street children.

After the rescue operations, the LGUs assess the children and determine the course of action, and if they need after-care services are referred to the DSWD. These include temporary shelter in our Centers, while others are referred to non-government organizations (NGOs) and Centers of LGUs.

Last November 2010, the DSWD, in coordination with MMDA, selected NGOs and LGUs in Metro Manila, conducted a Rapid Appraisal of street dwellers. Some 321 convergence areas of street children and street dwellers in Metro Manila were identified. Thus, the DSWD organized the Paskong Ligtas sa Batang Kalye project in December 2010 to enable them to have safe and happy holidays. The children were provided with hot meals and alternative activities, such as storytelling, dancing, singing, and values formation. The project was supported by 15 Cities and one (1) Municipality in the NCR together with 26 partner NGOs, people’s organizations (POs) and other stakeholders. 

Meanwhile, the DSWD continuously implements the Comprehensive Program for Street Children in cooperation with LGUs and NGOs as a long-term solution to the needs of home-based street families and homeless street families. The program extends social protection services and poverty reduction projects to both the home-based and homeless street children and street families. These include educational assistance, income-generating opportunities, as well as provision of in-city and near-city shelter assistance.

We hope that this has enlightened the issue regarding street children. 

Thank you.

Sincerely,

PRESCILA R. VILLA

 Director

Social Marketing Service

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The real STAR website

For the nth time, I am reminding the public to stop logging on to some ‘Ricky Lo’ websites which are fake, fake, fake! The real STAR website is the one shown above. In those fake ‘Ricky Lo’ websites, what comes out are mostly negative and wrong stories about the stars. Mariel Rodriguez, Robin Padilla, Angel Locsin and Iza Calzado are among the many stars ‘victimized’ by the fake ‘Ricky Lo’ websites. Whoever is the coward behind this scam should have balls enough to identify him/herself and stand responsible for the garbage he/she is spreading on the Net. Another victim of these evil-minded people is Tempo’s Ronald Constantino. The STAR lawyers are now coordinating with the proper authorities to track down the culprits and have those fake websites removed. To follow the official’s STAR Twitter log on to www.twitter.com/PhilstarNews.

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Precious Lara, Star of the Night

It was hard to stand out in a place such as the Araneta Coliseum last Sunday night during the 2011 Bb. Pilipinas pageant where former and reigning binibinis were in their sartorial best. But 2005 Bb. Pilipinas-International/Miss International Precious Lara Quigaman (photo) easily emerged as Star of the Night as she co-hosted the three-hour affair with KC Concepcion, Derek Ramsay and 1999 Bb. Pilipinas-Universe (and first runner-up in that year’s Miss U contest) Miriam Quiambao who appeared like a ‘runner-up’ to Lara. — PHOTO BY ANGELO ESPINA

(E-mail reactions at [email protected] or at [email protected]. You may also send your questions to [email protected]. For more updates, photos and videos visit www.philstar.com/funfare.)