An incident involving actress Francine Diaz and OPM band Orange and Lemons during an event in San Jose, Occidental Mindoro, has drawn attention on social media, prompting both parties to address the matter.
In an interview with ABS-CBN News, producer Kylee Dioneda took responsibility for the confusion that ensued during the event and offered an apology for the miscommunication that occurred.
“Unang-una po sa lahat, humihingi po ako ng pasensya sa mga nangyari. Ito po talaga ay miscommunication lang po ng lahat, sa dami po ng nangyari that time sa event,” Dioneda expressed.
According to ABS-CBN News, the event experienced a two-hour delay, with Diaz scheduled to perform as the last artist between 9:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m., while Orange and Lemons were slated to perform earlier.
However, Diaz’s camp requested an earlier performance slot, citing her planned single-song set. They were granted permission to perform before Orange and Lemons, but this decision was not communicated to the band, resulting in an overlap between their performances.
Following the event, which gained traction on social media, Clem Castro, the frontman of Orange and Lemons, expressed concern over the situation’s escalation and sought to address it promptly.
“The night after the show, when we woke up, everything exploded. Gusto kong mag-damage control on the matter, because it’s getting out of hand. It was so fast. Social media was so fast,” Castro remarked.
EXCLUSIVE: Francine Diaz, Clem Castro of Orange&Lemons, their managers and event organizers met up last night May 3, and cleared the air on what transpired and what went wrong during the event last April 30 in San Jose, Occidental Mindoro. pic.twitter.com/KfEOhK5E1M
— MJ Felipe (@mjfelipe) May 4, 2024
To clarify the situation, Castro attempted to arrange a meeting with local officials and Diaz’s camp. However, the opportunity did not materialize as Diaz had already left for Manila.
Subsequently, the parties involved convened for a dinner meeting to discuss the incident and identify areas of improvement.
“We never released any official statement because we didn’t want to fuel the fire. We don’t want more assumptions, more judgments from the masses, music supporters, or fans. We don’t want to give more confusions,” Castro emphasized.
Both Diaz and Castro acknowledged the miscommunication and expressed their commitment to moving forward positively.
“Okay na po kami ni Sir Clem … Okay naman na po, nagkaayos naman na,” Diaz confirmed, acknowledging her lack of presence of mind during the incident. “Pero nag-sorry din po ako kay Sir Clem, kasi at that time, I wasn’t thinking properly. Wala ako sa right state of mind… I should’ve acknowledged them. But because of intimidation, hindi ko po alam yung gagawin ko.”
Despite tensions during the meeting, both parties agreed to put the incident behind them and explore potential collaborations in the future.
