Fernando de la Pena, son of veteran actress Eva Darren, called out the organizers of the Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences (FAMAS) 2024 awards after his mother failed to go on stage to present an award despite being invited by the prestigious award-giving body.

In a Facebook post, de la Pena recalled his mother’s excitement and preparations when she received a notice of invitation to present an award with veteran actor Tirso Cruz III for the FAMAS awards night.

“Mom was excited, bought the best dress and pair of heels she could afford and topped that with a nice package of hair and make up for the gala. During the event, she brought along three of her very proud grandkids,” de la Pena said, sharing a photo of the veteran actress from the awarding ceremony.

However, despite his mother rehearsing her lines and braving the heavy downpour the typhoon brought, Darren could not be on stage.

De la Pena continued that the PR officer in contact with his mother had nothing to explain and was simply sorry for everything that had transpired: “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 said.

For the incident, De la Pena lamented the disrespect and lack of professionalism shown by the awards-giving body toward his mother.

“You would think and assume that a ‘prestigious award-giving body’ who had been doing the same thing every year, over and over without fail, would have mastered their craft after 72 years. But no, not this entity,” he said.

“To all of you people behind FAMAS, you cannot do this to an icon of Philippine Cinema!” he continued, adding that he considered proceeding with legal actions but decided to leave it all to the hands of God.

Eventually, FAMAS publicly apologized to Darren and her family for their “unintentional disregard to her presence and stature.”

“Considering that we 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. This was indeed a setback in the live show and a negligence on the part of the team. Rest assured that this was not intentional and purely a misjudgment. The show is being streamed live and needed to be remedied right away. Hence, a replacement for Miss Darren was done last minute,” FAMAS wrote, acknowledging that Darren was supposed to present with Tirso Cruz III.

“We truly value Miss Darren and the rest of the veteran stars present last night true to the Homecoming Concept of the show. But as there were brilliant moments to the most star-studded awards night in recent memory, there were also hitches and unfortunate developments in a live show such as this one,” it added.

In response to FAMAS’ public statement, Darren’s son expressed gratitude for everyone’s support.

He clarified that Tirso and the PR officer “Mr. R” were not involved in the unfortunate incident: “We also know that Mr. Tirso Cruz III (veteran actor loved by all, donor of many camping tents when I was a Boy Scout in grade school) and the PR officer of FAMAS Mr. R (an incredible author and lover of classic cinema), have nothing to do with what happened and just the same, were casualties of someone’s questionable backstage judgment.

“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 Pena added.

One of those who extended support to Darren and her family is renowned actress and author Rita Avila, who expressed her sentiments in a Facebook post.

“Si Ms. Eva Darren ay pumunta DEFINITELY hindi para sa NINGNING pero dahil NIRESPETO nya ang imbitasyon. NIRESPETO BA SHA (Ms. Eva Darren went definitely not for the glamour but because she respected the invitation. Was she respected?)?” Avila wrote.

“Dapat sa showbiz eh tayo ang mag-alagaan sa isa’t isa. Tayo ang magbigay respeto sa isa’t isa. Tayo ang magbigay dignidad sa isa’t isa (In showbiz, we should take care of each other. We should show respect to each other; We should give each other dignity),” she added.

Darren starred in many films and television shows. With her wide range of filmography, she is best known for the movie Ang Pulubi (1969), where she won the FAMAS Award for Best Supporting Actress.

She is also known for her roles in Ligaya Ang Itawag Mo Sa Akin (1997), Pangako Sa’Yo (2000) and more.