FAMAS fiasco? Son of actress Eva Darren cries foul over ‘rude’ treatment

Eva Darren. Image: Facebook/Fernando de la Pena

Fernando de la Peña, son of screen veteran Eva Darren, called out the organizers of the recent Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences (FAMAS) awards for its alleged “last minute” removal of Darren as one of the presenters for the ceremony last May 26.

In a lengthy Facebook post on Monday, May 27, de la Peña said his mother was excited at having received an invitation to be one of the presenters of the star-studded event last Sunday, May 26, along with Tirso Cruz III, but this turned into dismay upon learning that she had been unceremoniously replaced without so much as a notice by the organizers.

This action, he said, was not only rude, but also “disrespectful,” “unethical,” and “unprofessional” towards an “icon of Philippine cinema.”

FAMAS has apologized for the matter hours after de la Peña made public his sentiments.

De la Pena shared that Darren was willing to prepare for the event, brave the stormy weather, and even spend a “price tag of P5,000 per plate” to accommodate her three grandchildren who accompanied her to the event.

“With a price tag of P5,000 ($90) per plate for four people, needless to say, it was not a cheap evening. It was all worth it though. After all, the last time she was on stage during a FAMAS awards night was back in 1969,” said dela Peña. “Being the true professional that my mother is, she memorized and rehearsed her script to perfection, braved the downpour of a Signal No. 1 Typhoon warning and drove to the Manila Hotel.”

However, when her award partner, Cruz, was called onstage to present the award, he was instead accompanied by an “upcoming young singer.”

“My mother never went on the stage. The PR officer of FAMAS 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,” de la Pena said.

“My Mom said ‘it’s okay’ but decided to leave nonetheless. I couldn’t blame her. Staying around was just rubbing salt on her FAMAS-inflicted wounds,” he further added.

De la Pena said FAMAS organizers’ “rude and disrespectful” treatment of his mother needed to be called out, given that it’s a “prestigious award-giving body” that has been doing the same thing every year and has presumably mastered their craft after 72 years.

Despite eyeing legal action against FAMAS, de la Pena said he would rather heed the advice of his “devout Christian” sister and would “leave it to the hands of God.”

“I can think of a hundred other words to describe what FAMAS did to my mother, even contemplated legal actions for a second or two. But my sister, a devout Christian, told me to leave it to the hands of God. And so I will,” he wrote.

Last minute change?

De la Pena’s post earned the support of his fellow industry friends in the comments, including veteran actress Maila Gumila who wondered who was behind the “last-minute change.” This led to de la Pena to address a certain Renz Spangler who was “apologetic” about what happened, but there were no “explanations” behind the debacle.

“Trust me, unprofessionalism is rampant in the industry. Sadly, power play is something that needs to be seriously addressed since time immemorial. Too bad, whoever did this despicable disrespect was not called out immediately. No one could stand up to the person. Who was it? FAMAS people know,” Gumila said in response.

Image: Screengrab from Facebook/Fernando de la Pena

Image: Screengrab from Facebook/Fernando de la Pena

Image: Screengrab from Facebook/Fernando de la Pena

Image: Screengrab from Facebook/Fernando de la Pena

While neither de la Pena nor FAMAS’ organizers have yet to identify who the “upcoming young singer” was, the official presenters of the awards ceremony included Cruz III, Vilma Santos, Christopher de Leon, Charo Santos-Concio, Atty. Vincent Tañada, Pilar Pilapil, Gloria Diaz, Ken Chan, and Manila Vice Mayor Yul Servo.

Also part of the presenters were Snooky Serna, Sandy Andolong, Ron Angeles, Louie Ignacio, and Glaiza de Castro.

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