Eva Darren. Image: Facebook/Fernando de la Pena
Fernando de la Peña, on behalf of his mother Eva Darren and their family, acknowledged and accepted the apology extended by the Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences (FAMAS), after its “unprofessional” treatment of the veteran actress at the recent awards night.
De La Peña issued his response to the awards-giving body’s public apology through his Facebook page on Tuesday, May 28.
“My Dear Facebook Family, we truly appreciate the overwhelming display of love and support. Once again the people have spoken and proved that the keyboard is mightier than the sword,” he began, thanking actress Maila Gumila and artist Reb Belleza for “spreading the word.”
“My mom is one tough cookie, she is a battle-tested survivor of life’s arena. Ms. Eva Darren has found some comfort in the midst of a loving family which includes you all,” he continued.
De La Peña went on to underscore how Darren provided them, her children, with education “that instilled fundamental virtues and principles of Filipino culture that necessitates respect for the elderly.”
He further recalled how their family considers Darren’s 1969 FAMAS trophy as one of their “very few treasured possessions.”
“It is far from our intention to ruffle feathers and in fact, our upbringing inclined towards avoiding trouble at all cost often at our emotional expense,” he noted.
“We revered FAMAS and everything it stands for. This is why what happened to my mother, in the eyes of our family, was incomprehensible, unexpected, unimaginable,” he stated.
De La Peña also stressed that what hurt Darren the most was “disappointing” her grandchildren who came to the event to see the veteran actress on stage.
De La Peña nonetheless noted that the PR officer of FAMAS as well as actor Tirso Cruz III, who was supposed to be Darren’s co-presenter for an award, were also “casualties of someone’s questionable backstage judgment.”
“My mom was seated in a table front and center adjacent to the stage, rubbing elbows with my second mom, Ninang Divina Valencia and my awesome Tita Marissa Delgado. For the reasons I stated above and on behalf of my mother, Ms. Eva Darren, our family accepts the olive branch that FAMAS has extended and only hope that future events would prove to be contrasting,” De La Peña said.
Concluding his message, he added, “I understand that we are but a small voice in the back row of a rowdy crowd, but if I may humbly, personally, recommend two things for the 73rd FAMAS Awards Night: Please stick to the script… and maybe a nice pair of eyeglasses for all in charge.”
FAMAS organizers earlier extended its apologies to Darren and her family, claiming the veteran actress had to be “replaced” as a presenter at the awards night because she couldn’t be “located by the production team.”
Singer Sheena Palad, in place of Darren, was tapped to present the award alongside Cruz.
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