writes emil jurado in manila standard today:

Willie Revillame of Wowowee appeared confident when he, along with his lawyers, met media to bid them goodbye. Where Wowowee would be going next, whether to GMA-7 or to Manny Pangilinan’s ABC-5, he didn’t say. But it was evident that he was aware he had the goods on the Lopez-owned ABS-CBN network.

Wowowee, which used to air for three hours every day, made Revillame a sensation not only among viewers here but also to Filipino Americans who could watch him over The Filipino Channel. But the network changed it so that Willie would only appear once a week. That is, in effect, an abrogation of Revillame’s contract. Every lawyer should know this.

Thus, ABS-CBN cannot hold on to Wowowee, a program which gave the Lopez network some P3 million daily (with Willie getting almost P1 million daily). No wonder, ABS-CBN reported a 178 percent surge in income, what with all those political advertisements during the campaign and close to P3.5 billion from Wowowee.

Despite attempts of ABS-CBN to replace Wowowee, new programs just don’t do as well in ratings. . .

like him or hate him, there is no denying willie’s awesome appeal to the filipino masses and i almost can’t believe that the network has chosento disenfranchise him — it’s like killing the goose that lays the golden eggs.   i suppose there’s more to it than meets the eye?

“Willie . . . violated the behavioral provisions of his contract when he threatened the ABS-CBN management during the May 4, 2010 episode of Wowowee, with a resignation if management does not fire another artist of the network. His behavior was generally seen as a display of disrespect and arrogance, completely unacceptable to the Filipino public.

but willie’s may 4 behavior was not “completely unacceptable” to me.   while he may have crossed a line when he passionately if arrogantly reacted to jobert sucaldito’s criticism of a wowowee game calling for contestants na high school graduates with 75-79 general average, i thought that sucaldito also crossed a line when he arrogantly asked, why feature contestants who are bobo?   THAT was completely unacceptable to me.

in the first place, what was he doing, dissing a kapamilya?   he started it, not willie.  (and it wasn’t the first time, i hear.)   wala bang “behavioral provision” ang kontrata niya?   in the second place, what was he doing, dissing these high school graduates given the low and laughable quality of education our public school system provides.   kasalanan kaya nila na mababa ang grades nila?   porke ba mababa ang grades ay bobo na?   and yet willie was quickly sanctioned, suspended without pay, and sucaldito gayly prattles on, i mean, gets off scot-free, nary a public reprimand.

i’m told, of course, that i’m being naive.   that this is political.   that willie is being made to suffer for going orange rather than yellow last may.  the witches won, and the witches rule?