Whereas, Whereas, Whereas, Where~S
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FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 1 REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 1 First Regular Session 1 P.S. Res. No. 111 INTRODUCED BY THE HONORABLE MAR ROXAS A RESOLUTION DIRECTING THE COMMITTEE ON TRADE AND COMMERCE TO CONDUCT AN INQUIRY, IN AID OF LEGISLATION, ON THE CONTROVERSY SURROUNDING THE 20 AUGUST 2007 EPISODE OF THE WILYONARYO’ SEGMENT OF ABS-CBN CHANNEL 2 GAME SHOW ‘WOWOWEE.” WHEW, it is the policy of the State to protect the interests and general welfare of consumers and to establish standards of conduct for business and industry, which include the regulation of what is known as ‘Sales Promotion’ as defined under Republic Act No. 7394, entitled “The Consumer Act of the Philippines;” WHEREAS,‘Wilyonaryo’ is a new game segment in the ABS-CBN Channel 2 game show “Wowowee”hosted by Willie Revillame, which started last 18 August 2007; WHEREAS,as shown on the ‘Wowowee” show, in order to become a contestant in the ‘Wilyonaryo’ segment, a person must send a text message to the show with a corresponding charge, which is a text-based sales promotion andfor marketing covered under Republic Act No. 7394, entitled “The Consumer Act of the Philippines,” and therefore, under the direct control and supervision of the Department of Trade and Industry, the government agency primarily tasked in regulating similar television game shows; WHEREAS,a contestant in the ‘Wilyonaryo’ game segment who would make it to the jackpot round is asked to pick a colored wheel then made to choose between ‘Wilyonaryo’or ‘Winame.’ A contestant who chooses ‘Wilyonaryo’ has a chance to win Two Million Pesos (Php2,000,000.00), One Million Pesos (Php1,000,000.00), Five Hundred Thousand Pesos (Php500,000.00), or a house and lot, while a contestant who chooses ‘Winame’ means opting to get the cash amount offered by Willie Revillame instead of the hidden prize in the chosen colored wheel. WHERE~S,based on newspaper reports, in the 20 August 2007 episode of the ‘Wilyonaryo’ game segment, a contestant named “Weng” picked a white wheel, but eventually gave it up and chose ‘Winame’ after Willie Revillame made an offer of One Hundred Thousand Pesos (Php100,OOO.OO). Thereafter, Willie Revillame showed one by one the contents of the remaining wheels revealing the prizes of Php1,000,000.00, Php500,000.00, and house and lot; thereafter, Willie Revillame remarked that the Php2,000,000.00 prize would be in the violet wheel, which when opened indicated “zero.” When the violet wheel reflected the “zero” sign, Willie Revillame was shown to be holding the missing Php2,000,000.00 tag as indicated by the “2” sign and openly stated “Mali mali sandali...ang two million...ay hawak kopala.” WHEREAS,the said episode of the ‘Wilyonaryo’game segment raises questions on how television game shows are regulated to ensure and guarantee protection of consumers, especially as such game shows could be seen as promotions activities for certain goods and services: WHEREAS,on 31 August 2007, the Senate received a formal request from Tanglaw ng Bayan, through its spokesperson Prof. Bayani Santos, Jr., for the Senate Committee on Trade and Commerce to conduct an immediate, fair, and impartial probe of the “Wowowee” incident to protect the general public from possible deceptions and manipulations inimical to their welfare and interest; WHEREAS,millions of Filipinos watch these game shows with either the intent to become actual contestants or as mere active supporters through the sending of a text message or the purchasing of a product as they are enticed to do so through creative marketing techniques which encourage broad consumer participation; WHEW there is a need to review how such game shows, as promotions activities, are regulated under the Republic Act No. 7394, entitled “The Consumer Act of the Philippines,” as well as to look into how to strengthen protection of innocent consumers or contestants that join local game shows; NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, AS IT IS HEREBY RESOLVED, that the Senate direct the Committee on Trade and Commerce to conduct an inquiry, in aid of legislation, on the controversy surrounding the 20 August 2007 episode of the ‘Wilyonaryo” segment of the ABS-CBN Channel 2 game show ‘Wowowee;” RESOLVED, FURTHER, that such inquiry shall focus on how to ensure fairness and transparency in television game shows and the kind of government action needed to regulate the same and/or ensure the protection of consumers or contestants joining these game shows; mSOLVED, FlXALLk: that the same committee look into further strengthening Republic Act No. 7394, or the crafting of new measures to strengthen regulation of mass media trade andor television game shows, in order to penalize those culpable of fraudulent activities and protect consumers or contestants from deception. Adopted, .