'Willing Willie,' Philippine TV Game Show, Yanked From Airwaves After Crying Child's Striptease Dance (VIDEO)

The Philippines' most popular TV game show has been yanked from airwaves amidst public uproar over its host prodding a crying 6-year-old boy into mimicking a striptease dance.

As the Associated Press is reporting, the boy was a contestant on an episode of "Willing Willie," a variety program that features mostly poor Filipinos who earn prizes for singing, dancing, telling their stories or playing games.

Though he'd previously apologized for the act, "Willing Willie" host Willie Revillame said he was taking two weeks of leave, after which he will announce if he'll return to television.

Known to Philippine audiences for his lewd jokes, Revillame had earlier insisted the boy, who earned 10,000 pesos ($230) for the dance, had appeared voluntarily and with his parents' consent.

Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman had condemned "the emotional abuse and humiliation" suffered by the boy, noting that the March 12 program violated a law against child abuse.

"Putting pressure on children to do acts such as mimicking adult sexy dances, in exchange for a certain amount of money, and at the expense of being laughed at and ridiculed by hundreds of people, clearly traumatises the child," she said in a statement quoted by the AFP.

Watch video of the controversial performance below: