“FAMAS’s uncouth and unprofessional behavior showed a lack of ‘pakikipagkapwa’ along with a blatant violation of the norm of respect”
THE FAMAS event organizers’ snub of veteran actress Eva Darren is unconscionable despite their crisis-response and inadequate apology, given the level of disrespect they showed.
Ms. Darren’s son Dr. Fernando de la Peña’s Facebook post on the incident went viral with over 39,000 shares and 227,000 likes as of yesterday. This virality helped spread the news and garner much sympathy for Darren.
According to de la Peña, FAMAS organizers invited Darren to present the awards for special citation alongside veteran actor Christopher de Leon on their Awards Night last May 26.
Darren, as a consummate professional, memorized the script for the presentation well before the scheduled event, bought a new outfit, and made sure her hair and makeup would represent her and the event well.
She also spent P5,000 a plate for four grandchildren to accompany her to the event.
But on the night itself, to her dismay, someone else appeared on stage beside de Leon as presenter.
Perhaps in response to the overwhelming backlash against them, FAMAS issued a statement of apology, claiming that because they “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…The show is being streamed live and needed to be remedied right away. Hence, a replacement for Miss Darren was done last minute.”
The FAMAS statement also mentioned this “was indeed a setback in the live show and a negligence on the part of the team. Rest assured this was not intentional and purely a misjudgment.”
As an events organizer myself in a past life, I find this excuse extremely difficult to swallow.
First, organizers should have all people involved accounted for and ready before their actual ‘go-time.’
Also, if they were really trying to locate Darren among the “myriads” of people there, why didn’t they have an announcer make a public call for her to go backstage? This flimsy excuse is merely that – an attempt to try and defuse the situation.
Second, netizens are sharing materials that show Darren wasn’t truly considered part of the event.
One of these is a pubmat or art card with photos of all the presenters except Darren, and a photo of an event sequence guide showing it was actress Nova Villa who was to take the stage with de Leon.
As it happened, it was young singer Sheena Palad who presented the award. In her account, she says she was requested to perform two songs, then asked a “big favor” from a staffer who asked her to present awards.
Darren’s family graciously accepted FAMAS’s apology, in a move that sets a genuinely good, proper, and classy example for others.
The reason this incident reached such a resonant pitch in the discourse is because, for one thing, a deeply-held value in Filipino culture was violated. This is respect for others, particularly elders (Darren is 77).
“Paggalang sa kapwa” is ingrained in the Filipino psyche. It plays a crucial role in maintaining social harmony and communal bonds. It is manifested in various ways, including the use of polite language, courteous gestures, and a general attitude of consideration and empathy towards others.
This respect is not merely a formality but a core value that shapes the Filipino way of life. Thus we treat each other with respect no matter their social standing, employment, or other status.
To show this respect to others, we often use kinship terms such as ‘ate’ or ‘manong,’ at least until recent years, when “ma’am/sir” became the ubiquitous form of polite address.
The honorific ‘po’ has not disappeared, and is in fact adopted by some foreigners who reside here; for instance, I have a Chinese student who liberally peppers her emails to me with ‘po.’
Filipinos are known for their strong sense of “kapwa,” or shared identity, which emphasizes collective well-being over individual interests.
By showing respect for others, Filipinos strengthen this sense of unity and ensure that everyone feels valued and included. This mutual respect helps build trust and cooperation, which are essential for a harmonious society.
FAMAS’s uncouth and unprofessional behavior showed a lack of “pakikipagkapwa” along with a blatant violation of the norm of respect.
What are the odds this incident will have repercussions on their credibility as an organization?
My two cents? Don’t think of this so much as a PR disaster (which it is) and make further clumsy attempts at damage control, but rather as a mistake and error that should be repaired and amended with genuine contriteness, remorse, and a promise to do better going forward. * * * FB and (X): @DrJennyO / Email: writerjennyo@gmail.com
