Fernando de la Pena, the son of the veteran actress Eva Darren, called out the Filipino Academy for Movie, Arts, and Sciences (FAMAS) Awards for replacing her mother as one of the award presenters during the awards night held last Sunday, May 26.
In a lengthy post on Facebook on Monday, de la Pena said Darren was excited and prepared, as she was supposed to present an award together with veteran actor Tirso Cruz but turned out to be dismayed when Cruz "went upstage with an upcoming young singer instead.".
De la Pena said that the act was not only "rude" but "disrespectful," "unethical," and "unprofessional.".
"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," said de la Pena.
"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. Staying around was just rubbing salt on her FAMAS-inflicted wounds," he added.
De la Pena shared what her mother prepared for the event, such as buying the "best dress and pair of heels" she could afford. Darren also brought three of her grandchildren.
"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."
"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," he stressed.
De la Pena noted 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.
