Tito Sotto: "We never placed two numbers in one box"

The mounting verbal complaints and debates regarding the latest Wowowee scandal where there is still a question if the incident is a mere fumble or an evidence of cheating has reached the chamber of congress and now the Senate too looks ready to tackle the issue.

Senators Mar Roxas, Ramon Revilla Jr., and Lito Lapid have expressedinterest in investigating the alleged scam.

Roxas asked the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to explain why they failed to monitor these TV show contests to protect the interest of viewers.

Roxas adds that TV games are clearly part of the coverage of DTI, which was still verifying complaint against the show, because TV viewers are like consumers that should be protected from being duped.

Experience
Former Sen. Tito Sotto III said he and his TV partners--Vic Sotto and Joey de Leon--could help senators on the mechanics of TV games with close to 30 years experience in hosting and crafting novelty games on television ("Eat Bulaga" started airing in 1979).

"We're ready to volunteer our experience on how to host a TV game and how to ensure the integrity of these contests. We will tell them how these are run so that the host would not make a mistake," said Sotto, a two-time senator who lost in his attempt to return to the Senate last May.

The Senate is looking into the mounting verbal complaints on "Wowowee" host Willie Revillame who was caught fumbling in revealing where the jackpot number "2" in the show's "Wilyonaryo" portion was placed.

Revillame claimed that he has nothing to explain because there have been no complaints while Wowowee's producer, ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp., has dismissed the incident as an honest mistake.

But Sotto said it was "too much a stretch" for ABS-CBN to claim that because the video footage clearly showed that Revillame had control of what number to show.

Mistake
"Everybody can see the irregularity. You cannot afford to make a mistake here and you cannot put two numbers in one box," said Sotto who noted that this incident has never happened in their show.

"Wilyonaryo" is an analogue of the "Laban o Bawi" portion of "Eat Bulaga" where a contestant is asked to arrange seven boxes (containing six zeroes and a single one) to form the jackpot prize of P1 million.

"There might have been one instance where we prematurely opened the jackpot number but never have we placed two numbers in one box," said Sotto.
SOURCE:
Gil C. Cabacungan Jr.
Inquirer