CEBU CITY, Philippines?The tribute to Michael Jackson by the dancing inmates of the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center was a smash hit, as hundreds of tourists and Cebuanos crowded the jail Saturday afternoon to watch the emotional performance.

Applause greeted the end of each of the dance routines, set to Jackson's Thriller and other famous hits, that lasted an hour.

But in the crowd shed tears as a huge picture of Jackson was brought out after the inmates performed to the songs "Ben" and "I'll Be There."

Even prison guard Arnie Juarez said he could not stop his tears from falling as he watched the heartfelt and solemn performance of the inmates, a departure from the vigorous Thriller routine that made them famous after it was uploaded on YouTube in July 2007.

Juarez said the crowd was unexpectedly huge, several times more than the usual 200 people who watch the monthly performance of the 1,500 prisoners at the quadrangle of facility.

The jail facility is located at Cebu City's mountain barangay of Kalunasan, an uphill three-kilometer drive from the city center.

Juarez estimated the crowd at 2,000.

"There were just too many people? many were standing because there no more seats available," said Juarez.

Byron Garcia, the Cebu provincial government's consultant on security and jail matters and the brother of Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, estimated the crowd to be about 700, still a long way from the usual 200.

But Juarez said Garcia might not have realized that there were actually more because the jail official was at the quadrangle.

Juarez said he had a vantage point because he was assigned to an elevated area that had a complete view of the quadrangle.

Juarez said he also saw the faces of the people who shed tears during the presentation, especially after the song "I'll Be There" when the huge poster of Jackson was rolled out.

The tourists who watched the presentation included Koreans and Americans, he said.

The activity was open to all but Garcia said they had to turn away so many because the viewing area was already full.

The tribute started with a prayer for the eternal repose of Jackson's soul, after which the inmates danced to the tunes of Ben, I'll Be There, We Are the World and, finally, Thriller.

The activity ended with another dance presentation that was originally scheduled for this month.

The whole presentation that began shortly before 4 p.m. lasted for an hour.

Garcia said he would upload the Jackson tribute on YouTube.