By Beverly T. Natividad
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 21:33:00 02/20/2009
MANILA, Philippines—A winner in the “Bigtime Pera o Bayong” game portion of “Wowowee” is set to file a complaint against the popular TV show for allegedly failing to make good on its promised prize.
Nena V. Santos, of Banlat, Quezon City, bagged the second prize of a fully furnished house and lot in the popular game in July last year.
Santos said the grand prize winner -- the “Bigtime” winner -- took home a package that included a fully furnished house and lot, a car, and P1 million cash. The third prize winner got P1 million cash.
She said she could not have over-expected the prize because in August 2008 she had even watched an episode of “Rated K” (also shown on ABS-CBN Channel 2) that featured the July 1, 2008 grand winner.
The past winner -- who had only won within a week of Santos’ win -- had shown her new beautiful, single detached, fully furnished house in the show, leaving Santos excited to see her own house.
Santos told the Philippines Daily Inquirer in an interview on Friday that it took her another seven months before she could get her “dream house” located at Santa Barbara Villas II, San Mateo, Rizal.
She said she went there on February 4, with the prize supposed to be awarded by real estate developer Globe Asiatique.
To her surprise, Santos said, what she got was a house that is not brand new. There was furniture inside but it belonged to the former owner. Moreover, there were no furnishings there that were supposed to be part of her prize.
Santos also claimed that the house was a repossessed property, adding she was told that she could not even move in for another 15 days to give the old occupants time to take their things out of the house.
Santos is now preparing to take her case to the Department of Trade and Industry to complain against the noontime show for allegedly misdirecting game show contestants like her into believing they were fighting all-out for a prize of their dreams but coming up short by collection time.
Besides, she said, when she signed her deed of sale and received her permit to occupy, Globe Asiatique told her that her house and lot was worth only P550,000.
This meant that without the furnishings, her prize is worth less than the third prize winner’s bounty of P1 million cash.
Bong Osorio, head of ABS-CBN’s PR department, declined to comment saying the network hasn’t received a copy of the complaint yet.
‘Wowowee’ winner cries foul over prize - INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos
‘Wowowee’ winner cries foul over prize
Reply With Quote
Posting Permissions
