Above is a video of Jan-jan, a 6-year-old boy, appearing on the Philippines show Willing Willie, which premiered last fall on the country’s TV5. The six-days-a-week variety show, which runs up to 2.5 hours, is hosted by comedian Willie Revillame. And what did Revillame and producers have Jan-jan on the March 12 show for? So he could entertain the studio and viewing audiences by “gyrat[ing] in front of the camera like a ‘macho dancer’ in a gay bar would.” You can see the tears begin to stream down the boy’s face, but that only encourages Revillame to continue baiting Jan-jan into more dancing. And is that his mother in the audience, whooping it up? I’m assuming she’s collecting a few pesos for her son’s troubles? There’s a petition circulating the show and Revillame to be held accountable for allegedly abusing Jan-jan in violation of child performer laws. His mother, meanwhile, should be held accountable for turning the rest of her son’s life into an exercise in avoiding YouTube.
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