Court of Appeals orders Willie Revillame’s arrest over child abuse case

Maureen Marie Belmonte

<div><img src='' alt='101915-WILLIE_main.jpg' width='400' height='290' align='left' border='0'>The Court of Appeals ruled the arrest and prosecution of host Willie Revillame over the child abuse and exploitation case filed against him in 2011.</div><div> </div><div>In an 11-page decision issued by Associate Justice Ma. Luisa Quijano-Padilla of the 13th division appeals court, she affirmed that the Quezon City Regional Trial Court did the right thing when they issued the order.</div><div> </div><div>The 54-year-old actor-comedian was charged with child abuse after he made a six-year-old boy act dance moves similar to male strippers during the March 2011 episode of his now defunct show Willing Willie on TV 5.</div><div> </div><div>Willie asked the boy to repeat the gyrating dance moves and eventually gave him P10,000. At one point Willie even mimicked the young boy’s moves and even had the boy on top of a platform and shouted, “beer pa.”</div><div> </div><div>Previous reports noted that the boy appeared to have been crying while doing the dance moves.</div><div> </div><div>After a few weeks, the Department of Social Welfare and Development filed a complaint for violation of Republic Act 7610 or the Anti-Child Abuse Law before the Quezon City Prosecutors Office, which later became a case in the court.</div><div> </div><div>“There is probable cause for the petitioner’s commission of a crime, his arrest and arraignment should now ensue so that this case may properly proceed to trial where the merits of both parties’ evidence and allegations may be weighed,” the appeals court’s statement said in an Inquirer report.</div><div> </div><div>The statement even pointed out that “the case had long been delayed because of the petitioner’s refusal to submit to the trial court’s jurisdiction and erroneous invocation of the Rules in his favor.”</div><div> </div><div>Willie filed a motion for reconsideration before the Quezon City RTC back in 2013 but he was eventually denied.</div><div> </div><div>At that time, the court noted that Willie’s argument of not having any intention to violating the law should be best appealed during the trial.</div><div><br/></div><div><i>Main Photo credit to willierevillame IG</i></div>

CA noted that Willie is the reason behind the case’s delay

Court of Appeals orders Willie Revillame’s arrest over child abuse case | PUSH.COM.PH