So, it seems Wowowee host and opiate of the people Willie Revillame threw a tantrum again.
Revillame was offended that Jobert Sucaldito, a commentator at ABS-CBN’s radio station DZMM, asked why the show chose to get students who got an average grade of 75-79% in school instead of, say, kids with better grades. To Revillame, this was tantamount to calling his contestants stupid, and he’s having none of it. He has threatened to leave the noontime variety show unless ABS-CBN fires Sucaldito. “I’m doing this for the masses. For the special children who have grades of 75%,” he said.
Sucaldito’s radio co-host Wendell Ramos has denied that anyone suggested the contestants were stupid. The point, apparently, was that it would have been better to get students with high grades to inspire children to study harder. With the employment market as it is, I guess getting on a game show is as good a career goal as any.
Not to put too fine a point on things, but getting an average of 75-79% sort of does mean that a student is not among the best and brightest. (Disclosure: I am not among the best and brightest.) That doesn’t mean they don’t deserve to be on Wowowee, of course, just that there are people smarter than they are. Pointing that out doesn’t make one an asshole, or oppressive, or discriminatory.
But Willie wants to make it about that. He says he is standing up for his fans: the trash collectors, the poor, the people who don’t get good grades. Which would be great if they had anything to do with the whole thing. If anyone, Willie was the one doing these average students a disservice by calling them special children and threatening to leave the show on their behalf. Defensive much?
In reaction, Sucaldito gave the only intelligent response in situations like this: Kaloka siya. Pikon sobra. (roughly: Shut up, you pansy.)