Veteran actress Eva Darren was lauded online after she was honored at the 7th Entertainment Editors’ Choice (Eddy’s) Awards ceremony. This comes nearly two months after being snubbed by a different recognition event.
The Eddy’s, hosted by the Society of Philippine Entertainment Editors (SPEEd), took place on Sunday, recognizing actors, writers, directors, and other film industry professionals.
That night, Eva was able to show up on stage to receive the “Icon Award”. She also delivered a speech.
Eva is known for her movies “Ang Pulubi” “Ang Langit sa Lupa” and “Igorota” as well as TV series “Pangako Sa’yo,” among others.
READ: Eva Darren’s iconic roles remembered after FAMAS mishap
The actress cited that the latest recognition of her craft coincided with the late celebration of her 78th birthday.
“Pahabol din ito [the award] sa birthday ko dahil nag birthday ako noong June 28… 78 na po ako noong araw na iyon,” she said in her speech.
“Siyempre, wala ang ngayon kung wala ang noon,” Eva added in honor of her fellow veteran actors.
Eva also expressed hopes that she and other seasoned celebrities would always be remembered.
“Huwag niyo kaming kalimutan, huwag niyo kaming pabayaan,” she said.
The actress then garnered praises on Facebook, with many saying that she is still remembered beyond awards.
“Even with no awards Ma’am Eva, you are already an icon that we recognize since then,” a Facebook user commented.
“Silang mga nagpatingkad ng sining saating bansa, ay sila ring tunay na di mawawaglit, malilimutan. Pagpupugay, at pagpupugay ulit!” another Facebook user wrote with a Philippine flag and raised hands emoji.
“You deserve that award and deserve to be respected as an icon of Philippine cinema as well,” a Facebook commenter said.
FAMAS ‘debacle’
Prior to receiving Eddy’s recognition, Eva was snubbed during the Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences (FAMAS) Awards night last May 27.
She was invited to supposedly serve as an award presenter alongside another veteran actor, Tirso Cruz III. However, she was not called by the organizers prompting her to go home instead.
Eva’s son, Fernando de la Pena called out the “unethical” and “unprofessional” treatment on her mother during the awards night of FAMAS 2024. His post garnered support from online community.
FAMAS, said to be the oldest existing award-giving body in the film industry in the Philippines and one of the oldest in Asia, later apologized and said that the incident was “not intentional and purely a misjudgment,” stressing that the ceremony was “being streamed live and needed to be remedied right away.”
READ: Pinoys skeptic over FAMAS’ apology to actress Eva Darren after awards night ‘debacle’ | Actress Eva Darren’s son gives FAMAS suggestions after ‘unprofessional’ incident
