PRESIDENT OF COLUMBIA GIVES BB HMs a CHALLENGING TASK...
THEN PAYS THEM A SURPRISE VISIT
http://www.jokersupdates.com/ubbthre...=5&o=31&fpart=
Even the president of Colombia cannot do without Big Brother. The BB-residents, along with the Colombian press and public, had the surprise of a lifetime when president Alvaro Uribe payed the housemates a visit on October 2nd.
At the beginning of last week, the contestants of the Colombian Big Brother, which started in July, received a special week-assignment. The assignment revolved around an important government's proposal, the Referendo, to reform the economy and to change the ways in which politics are carried out in Colombia. Polls have shown that the majority of the Colombian people doesn't understand the Referendo. Big Brother came to the rescue.
In a pre-recorded tape, the president himself asked the housemates if they could explain the 15 issues mentioned in the Referendo to the Colombian people. Alvaro Uribe wants to freeze wages and government pensions for the next two years to save 7.2 billion dollars between now and the year 2010. For example, one of the issues is about reducing the number of representatives in Congress. On October 25th, the Colombians will cast their vote.
The BB-contestants were asked to make sure to be objective while clarifying the proposal. If viewers understood the Referendo explanations made by the housemates, they could call or SMS a special phone number. The amount of people responding determined if the housemates had completed the assignment.
On October 2nd, the president himself payed the stunned housemates a visit to tell them they did a good job explaining the Referendo. At 7 p.m. he arrived at the broadcasting station RTI. He stayed in the house for 25 minutes and talked informally to the contestants.
National and international press covered the event, which was taken very seriously by the participants, as one of them said: "I know that the general public believes in us and it's important that we do this in a heartfelt way."
Source: Endemol.com