Sheena Palad speaks up after ‘replacing’ Eva Darren as FAMAS presenter

Singer Sheena Palad and veteran actress Eva Darren. Image: Facebook/Shenaa Lee, Fernando de la Pena

Singer Sheena Palad addressed the fiasco at the recent Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences (FAMAS) awards night, saying she didn’t know veteran actress Eva Darren was supposed to be the presenter of the award she was instructed to present.

Palad, the “upcoming younger singer” who “replaced” Darren as Tirso Cruz III’s co-presenter, spoke up on the incident to air her side through a video on her Facebook page on Monday, May 27.

Palad was accompanied in the video by her boyfriend, host-singer Johann Enriquez, who was also present at the awards night as a host and empathized as well with the family of Darren.

“We just want to be straightforward with what happened,” Enriquez began. “Whatever happened po, talagang we feel sorry about it. And si Sheena, wala po siyang kinalaman about what happened. I think FAMAS is doing its best to mitigate the concern.”

Palad, narrating what transpired during the event, continued: “I was chosen, I was called by the organizers to perform for the Dinner Pleasure. The Dinner Pleasure is the entertainment for dinner time.”

After her performance, Palad said she changed to her second attire and was on standby when one of the staff members approached her and asked for “a big favor.”

“Sabi niya, ‘Can you present the awards?’ Sabi ko, ‘Okay, sige. No problem.’—that’s it. ‘Yun lang po ‘yung alam ko. Hindi ko po alam na si Ms. Eva ‘yung magpe-present po,” Palad stressed.

“Actually nung time na ‘yon, I was clueless. Hindi po kasi ako nanunuod nung awards night because I was in the holding area. So, hindi ko po alam kung paano mag-present,” she stated, adding that she even mispronounced the name of the late German Moreno as she was all tensed up.

Palad further noted that she was not prepared and that she was not able to read the script prior to presenting the award.

“Ang instruction lang po sa akin, ‘Sheena, you’re gonna present after you sing the production number,” she stated. “I was just following instructions. ‘Yun lang, I hope you are enlightened with the situation.”

Palad then became emotional as Enriquez appealed to the public to stop bashing the former, who was just “doing her job” and “is innocent.”

Prior to this, the organizers of the FAMAS awards night apologized to Darren and her family, saying the actress had to be “replaced” because she couldn’t be “located by the production team” at the ceremony.

The actress’ son, Fernando de la Peña, then accepted the award-giving body’s apology and advised the organizers to “stick to the script” and wear “a nice pair of eyeglasses” for next year’s awarding ceremony.

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