Naghahanap at humihingi ng paliwanag ang anak ng veteran at award-winning actress na si Eva Darren kaugnay ng naganap sa gabi ng parangal ng 72nd FAMAS sa The Manila Hotel, Manila, nitong Linggo, May 26, 2024.
Sa pamamagitan ng isang Facebook post ngayong Lunes, Mayo 27, 2024, ikinuwento ni Fernando de la Peña ang pagbabalewala at pagdisrespetong naranasan umano ng kanyang ina mula sa mga organizer ng 72nd FAMAS.
Read: 72nd FAMAS: Kathryn, Piolo, Alfred win top acting awards
Si Eva ang best supporting actress winner sa 4th Manila Film Festival noong Hunyo 1969 para sa Ang Pulubi, na pinagbidahan ni Charito Solis.
Muli siyang nanalong best supporting actress sa 18th FAMAS noong 1970 dahil pa rin sa pagganap niya sa nabanggit na pelikula.
EVA DARREN DISRESPECTED?
Sinabi ng anak ni Eva na inimbitahan ang kanyang ina sa 72nd FAMAS, pero hindi natupad ang ipinangako sa veteran actress na partisipasyon nito bilang award presenter.
Dapat ay katuwang daw ni Eva ang kapwa beteranong aktor na si Tirso Cruz III, pero pinalitan siya ng baguhang singer na nagngangalang Sheena Palad.
Ang masaklap pa, wala umanong paliwanag na ibinigay ang taga-produksiyon na kausay ni Eva tungkol sa nangyari. Maging ito ay nagulat sa last-minute changes.
Bagamat sinabi ni Eva sa taga-production na okay lang, nagdesisyon ang beteranang aktres na umalis na lamang, kasama ang kanyang tatlong apo na isinama nito para saksihan sana ang muli niyang pagtuntong sa entablado bilang presenter sa isang awards night.
Litanya pa ni Fernando: "To all of you people behind FAMAS, you cannot do this to an icon of Philippine Cinema. It is RUDE… It is DISRESPECTFUL… It is UNETHICAL… it is UNPROFESSIONAL to say the least!!!"
FERNANDO DE LA PEÑA, EVA DARREN'S SON, FACEBOOK RANT
Ito ang kabuuan ng hinaing ni Fernando tungkol sa kawalan ng respeto at tila kalapastanganang ipinaranas sa kanyang ina sa 72nd FAMAS.
“My mother, a veteran actress of the Philippine movie industry, having performed on the big screen and TV for more than five decades, usually does not attend social events. She loves the simple pleasures in life being surrounded by family.
“She received a notice of invitation one day for the FAMAS awards night. For those of you who aren’t familiar, FAMAS (Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences Awards) is the equivalent of the USA’s Oscar Awards.
“She was also given a script to go over and memorize as an awards presenter coupled with another veteran actor, Mr. Tirso Cruz III.
“Mom was excited, bought the best dress and pair of heels she could afford and top that with a nice package of hair and make up for the gala.
“During the event, she brought along three of her grandkids. At the price of P5,000 per plate for four people, needless to say, it was not a cheap event. It was all worth it though.
“After all, the last time she was onstage during a FAMAS awards night was back in 1969 when she received the coveted "Best Supporting Actress Award' for her role in the movie PULUBI (Beggar) opposite actress Charito Solis.
“Being the true professional that my mother is, she memorized and rehearsed her script to perfection and braved the rains of a Signal No. 1 typhoon and headed to the Manila Hotel.
“After the glitz and glamour shots and half cheek-kisses and what not, everyone took their seats and the event commenced. During the point where she was supposed to present the award, her partner, Mr. Tirso Cruz III went upstage with a young singer instead. Not my mom.
“The PRO, officer of the production staff who had been in constant communication with my mother prior to the event had absolutely no explanations to offer, just a thousand apologies.
“He confessed not knowing what happened and wasn’t sure why there was a last-minute change. My mom said it’s okay but decided to leave nonetheless. I couldn’t blame her.
“You would think and assume that a prestigious award-giving body who had been doing the same thing every year over and over and without fail would have mastered their art after 72 years. But no, not this one.
“To all of you people behind FAMAS, you cannot do this to an icon of Philippine Cinema. It is RUDE… It is DISRESPECTFUL… It is UNETHICAL… it is UNPROFESSIONAL to say the least!!!
“I can think of a hundred other words to describe what FAMAS did to my mother, even contemplated on legal actions for a second. But my sister, a devout Christian, told me to leave it to the hands of God. And so I will.”
FAMAS APOLOGIZES
Makalipas ang ilang oras pagkatapos mag-post ni Fernando de la Peña ay naglabas ng official statement ang pamunuan ng FAMAS, sa pamamagitan ng kanilang official Facebook page, upang humingi ng paumanhin kay Eva darren.
Narito ang kabuuan ng kanilang pahayag:
"FAMAS would like to express its sincerest apologies to Miss Eva Darren, an icon in Philippine Movie Industry and a professional actress whose career is indubitably worthy of emulation.
"She was part of the program in last night’s Awards Night and was supposed to present Special Citations with Mr. Tirso Cruz III.
"But considering that we were running a live show, and due to myriads of people present in last night’s festivities, the production team was not able to locate Ms. Darren.
"This was indeed a setback in the live show and a negligence on the part of the team. Rest assured that this was not intentional and purely a misjudgment.
"The show is being streamed live and needed to be remedied right away. Hence, a replacement for Miss Darren was done last minute.
"We are writing this with a heavy heart especially after hearing that Miss Darren and her family were terribly hurt by this unintentional disregard to her presence and stature.
"We truly value Miss Darren and the rest of the veteran stars present last night true to the Homecoming Concept of the show.
"But as there were brilliant moments to the most star-studded awards night in recent memory, there were also hitches and unfortunate developments in a live show such as this one.
"We understand that an apology alone cannot undo the damage this might have caused Miss Darren but we are committed to make amends and rebuild her trust by a personal visit of the FAMAS Board to honor her stature, if she allows it."