MANILA, Philippines -- From “Hello Garci” to “Hello Papi.” The Senate is turning its attention from the election scandal to a game show scandal that has been the talk of millions of Filipino viewers of noon-time variety shows.

Sen. Manuel Roxas II, chair of the committee on trade and commerce, told reporters that he would file a resolution seeking an immediate investigation of alleged manipulation of the P2-million “Wilyonaryo” game portion of ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp.’s “Wowoweee” program by its host Willie Revillame.

Senators Ramon Revilla Jr., chair of the committee on mass media and public information, and Lito Lapid, chair of the committee on games and amusement, are also considering an inquiry into the controversy that has cast doubt on the integrity of TV game shows promising millions of pesos to viewers.

The senators’ remarks came just an hour after host-comedian Joey de Leon of the rival show “Eat Bulaga” on GMA 7 made a fervent appeal to lawmakers. Or was it a joke? One never knows with Joey de Leon.

“Kaya kayong mga nandyan sa Senado, iwan nyo na yang ‘Hello Garci,’ patulan nyo na itong ‘Hello Papi’ (So you people in the Senate, abandon the ‘Hello Garci’ scandal and confront this ‘Hello, Papi’),” said De Leon in joking (?) reference to Revillame’s pet name.

The Hello Garci issue involves wiretapped conversations allegedly between then Election Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano and President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo that indicated she stole the 2004 elections. Ms Arroyo has denied the accusation.

Root of controversy

“This is serious, this is for the audience. There are really hosts who are conniving in these kind of things especially when money is involved,” De Leon said of his appeal.

The scandal involved “Wowowee’s” Aug. 20 episode which showed Revillame bungling his presentation of the key number “2” to indicate that the contestant had not picked the jackpot offer of P2 million, but instead showed a “0.” He was caught on camera holding two sets of numbers.

That episode, which was placed on Youtube.com, has been the subject of nasty commentaries in newspapers, tabloids, radio and TV shows, and Internet blogs.

Clips of the alleged cheating have been circulating on the popular video-sharing Web site YouTube.

‘Honest mistake’

ABS-CBN released a statement more than a week later, explaining the incident as an “honest mistake.”

“The revelation of where the P2-million jackpot prize is happened after the contestant decided to get Willie’s offer. Since ‘Wilyonaryo’ is a new game, a mechanical glitch occurred in the reveal portion,” it said.

Over the last two days, De Leon and Revillame, colleagues-turned-bitter rivals, have traded barbs against each other.

On Wednesday, Revillame denied in between sobs that he cheated on his show and expressed displeasure over De Leon’s taunts on “Eat Bulaga.”

“You shouldn’t do this, Joey. I idolize you. Sa ’yo na ang ratings. Akala mo kung sino kang malinis (You can have the ratings. You’d think he’s clean),” said Revillame.

De Leon did not let the blistering words pass. He gave a rare interview on GMA 7’s radio station dzBB Thursday, calling Revillame a “know-nothing” and “shallow” for failing to explain the incident.

‘Know nothing’

He said he never mentioned Revillame or his show by name and dared Revillame to sue him. “The main question in this issue is why did they have two numbers in the tire? He should answer that, the issue is not about me,” he said, referring to “Wowowee’s” game.

Later in the afternoon, at “Eat Bulaga,” De Leon maintained that he did not start the fight but just commented on what he had read and heard from media since the video segment became a bigger hit than any “sex scandal” video.

Explain before complaining

De Leon, who did not allude to Revillame by name throughout his tirade, urged his rival to “explain first before complaining” instead of blaming other people for his fault. Both of their shows, De Leon said, were looked up to by millions of Filipinos.

He mocked Revillame for “crying without tears.”

“It’s very easy to cry, just slice some onions. Don’t poke your eye with your finger, you might cry blood,” he said.

Revillame responded later in his show that he did not have to explain anything, that the Senate need not bother to look into the incident, and that people continued to support him.

In calling for an investigation, Roxas, who is romantically linked to ABS-CBN news anchor Korina Sanchez, said: “We have to uphold the integrity of TV game shows especially since millions of Filipinos look up to them, particularly their jackpot prizes of as much as P2 million, as their ticket out of poverty.”

Consumer Welfare Code

In a statement, the senator said: “We will look into this by first asking the DTI (Department of Trade and Industry) what are the complaints, who are the complainants, and what it has done and intends to do about this matter. Based on this information, we shall file an appropriate resolution for a Senate inquiry with the end-goal of strengthening our Consumer Welfare Code.”

For his part, Revilla, a talent of GMA, said: “Let us not be quick to judge. Let us wait for a formal complaint to be filed at the DTI, which is the agency tasked with handling this matter. But I will support any investigation of the issue. If it will be referred to my committee, I will certainly act on it but I do not see any reason to initiate such an action at this stage.”

Waiting for report

Lapid’s spokesperson said the former actor was just waiting for the report from the DTI and the MTRCB (Movie and Television Review and Classification Board) before filing his resolution.

Lapid had earlier cautioned Revillame and other TV game shows to be more careful and transparent in their programs, he said.