The Filipino Academy for Movie, Arts, and Sciences, Inc. (FAMAS) apologized on Monday after allegedly snubbing veteran actress Eva Darren.
"FAMAS would like to express its sincerest apologies to Miss Eva Darren, an icon in the Philippine movie industry and a professional actress whose career is indubitably worthy of emulation," said FAMAS in a statement shared on its official Facebook page.
"But considering that we were running a live show, and due to the myriads of people present at last night’s festivities, the production team was not able to locate Ms. Darren,"
The statement was made after a Facebook post of Darren's son expressing dismay at the event as Darren was replaced to present special awards with fellow veteran actor Tirso Cruz III.
FAMAS said what happened "was indeed a setback in the live show and negligence on the part of the team," noting that it "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 at the last minute," said FAMAS.
"We are writing this with a heavy heart, especially after hearing that Miss Darren and her family were terribly hurt by this unintentional disregard for her presence and stature," it added.
The award-winning body said they "truly value" Darren and the rest of the veteran stars presented during the event, in line with the homecoming concept of the show.
FAMAS said there are "hitches and unfortunate developments in a live show" as to what happened.
In line with its apology, FAMAS encourages Darren to allow them to honor her stature through a personal visit by the FAMAS Board.
The FAMAS Award held its 72nd edition at the Manila Hotel.
Among other winners are Piolo Pascual and Alfred Vargas as best actors for their performances in the films "Pieta" and "Mallari."
Kathryn Bernardo was also hailed as the Best Actress for her performance in the film "A Very Good Girl."
Other nominees for the award were Cedrick Juan for "Gomburza," Ken Chan for "Papa Mascot," Dingdong Dantes for "Rewind," and Alden Richards for "Family of Two."
