The action onstage made the heat a little more bearable for the enthusiastic audience whose joy in watching the show was evident. Willie came out to roaring cheers of the huge crowd, which the Philippine National Police (PNP) contingent that ensured security in the area had estimated to be over 70,000.
Pinoy Big Brother evictees Bob de la Cruz, JB Magsaysay, Racquel Reyes and Chx Alcala have apparently gotten their share of Cebuano followers. They intensified the show when they joined contestants in the Bigat 10 game portion.
That Willie was adored by audiences here and abroad attests to the popularity of Wowowee, which toured Bicol, Davao and Iloilo earlier this year. The program has also drawn huge crowds in New York and Australia, giving in to demands of thousands of TFC subscribers.
"Wowowee is for the public, for the thousands of people we bring joy to, and those who want to help their fellow Filipinos," Willie said. "Nine months na po ang show. Sa February po, we will celebrate our first anniversary. But up to now, I’m still surprised at how many people want to help through our program," he added.
Willie’s mere presence in the streets of Cebu thrilled Cebuanos no end during the two-hour motorcade which traversed the city’s major thoroughfares. Fans shrieked and screamed at the mere sight of him. He was mobbed everywhere he went – in the hotel lobby, airport or in the grounds of ABS-CBN’s regional station in Mandaue City, where thousands had gathered before the motorcade commenced.
Willie is consistently generous to fans – to a fault. He never complains whenever people come up to him for autographs or a brief chat. He does not mind when he is interrupted by a fan requesting for a souvenir shot even when he’s in the middle of a conversation. He never shuns anyone who wants a moment with him. He shakes hands and talks to the high and mighty, the lowliest of the poor, kids and senior citizens. Even when he’s in a frenzy, he stops and smiles to greet fans.
A day before the Friday afternoon motorcade, there were over 30,000 who lined up to enlist for the popular Pera o Bayong segment of the show, where a contestant gets the chance to win a house and lot, brand-new passenger jeep or a P1-M in cash. On the day of the show, a lucky Cebuano brought home the new jeepney donated by Chinese businessman William Lim of WL Foods.
The Cebu caravan reinforced ABS-CBN’s dominance in the province, as well as the network’s affinity with the local residents. Cebu consistently stands as solid ABS-CBN territory, where the network enjoys a stronghold of the ratings. Ratings provided by the Philippine Survey and Research Council (Psrc) for the second quarter of 2005 showed ABS-CBN Cebu had a 63 percent audience share, compared to its competitor which only registered 17 percent.
The same survey showed that ABS-CBN also continues to lord it over all the other networks in other provinces like Davao, Bacolod, Cagayan de Oro, General Santos and Zamboanga.
Meanwhile, in the AC Nielsen official ratings from Oct. 4 to 29, Wowowee also bested its noontime rival Eat Bulaga, with 17.4 percent vs. 5.8 percent.
The Cebu caravan had the full support of the ABS-CBN Regional Network Group (RNG) headed by Ron Valdueza, with Visayas cluster head Jerry Bennett, area manager for Cebu Tata Cinco Sy and marketing manager Trixie Tolentino.
Wowowee kicked off the network’s Summer Caravan last April when the program did a successful remote airing in Bicol. The equally-successful Northern Luzon leg saw Nginiig, Entertainment Konek, Star Dance, Wazzup, Wazzup and Showbiz No. 1 in Tarlac, Dagupan and Baguio City. Then there was the star-studded Daghang Salamat Cebu, which created a stir among Cebuanos with ASAP ’05, ASAP Fanatic, The Buzz and Search for Star in a Million. ABS-CBN artists also displayed star-power in Bacolod and Iloilo. Last May, Kris Aquino’s Game Ka Na Ba? did a week-long episode in Davao. Tomorrow, Wowowee is set to do another remote airing from Dagupan.