Trigger Warning: Mentions of domestic abuse and sexual violence
Singer-songwriter Syd Hartha Chua expressed her gratitude to social media users who did not forget her past testimony amid the buzz on an OPM band’s upcoming reunion concert.
“Salamat sa mga ‘di nakalimot,” the folk-pop singer tweeted on Monday, the same day that former Eraserheads frontman Ely Buendia confirmed the band’s reunion on December 22.
Syd’s post has earned 14,800 likes and over 1,500 retweets as of this writing.
She elaborated on her tweet through Instagram Stories, where she wrote:
“Hanggang ngayon, nangangapa pa lang ako kung paano dalhin at pagalingin lahat ng mga natamin na at nakabaon sa akin na hindi ko naman pinili at ginusto; at pinag-aaralan ko pa lang ding tanggapin ‘yung mga bagay na ‘di man ako sang-ayon, eh ‘di ko naman kontrolado.”
“Basta bilang ate ng 15-year-old self ko, hangga’t mas malinaw at matimbang pa rin lahat ng mga dapat kong pasalamatan, intindihin, at gawin, okay tayo at tutuloy tuloy lang! (Kailangan eh, ang sarap din kayang namnamin at libutin ang buhay)”
“Salamat sa lahat ng hindi nakalimot. Umaabot kayo sa amin.”
She also retweeted a post by writer-actress Barbara Ruaro, a former partner of Marcus Adoro who is the band’s ex-lead guitarist.
“Thank you. THANK YOU. Thank you to every single person who chose not to turn a blind eye. Thank you for praying with us and for us. Thank you for making sure that we feel your massive support, whether we know each other personally or not. Justice belongs to The Lord. @sydhartha,” Barbara tweeted on Monday.
The members of the OPM band had announced that they will have a reunion concert called “Ang Huling El Bimbo” in Parañaque City.
Among the most popular musical acts in the ’90s, Eraserheads disbanded in 2002 after a decade of creating radio-friendly hits like “Ang Huling El Bimbo,” “Ligaya,” “Magasin,” “With A Smile” and “Alapaap.”
Last year, Ely tweeted that the band would reunite if former vice president Leni Robredo won the 2022 presidential elections. He later on said that it was a “half serious joke.”
Following the band’s upcoming reunion, some Filipinos recalled how Syd had opened up in 2019 about experiencing abuse at the hands of her father.
While unnamed, she referred to a certain “Makoy”, which news reports said appeared to be Marcus.
“Stop being blinded just because we love them as a band. Marcus Adoro is CLEARLY an abuser who doesn’t deserve the limelight anymore. Malala ang pinagdaanan ng anak [niya] under him just for us to sweep everything under the rug because he’s a member of a band we love,” a Twitter user claimed on Monday.
“I beg the 3 members of Eraserheads to remove Marcus Adoro in the reunion concert,” another online user tweeted.
“Genuine question: Why did they invite that literal abuser back for the Eraserheads reunion?” voice actor Renzo Magnaye wrote.
Allegations
In 2019, Syd posted about experiencing abuse at the hands of her father.
“Hinding-hindi ko makakalimutan iba’t ibang klase ng abuso na dinanas ko sa kanya. Kaya pala ako nilalayo ng nanay ko at iba pang mga kamag-anak ko sa kanya. Kaya pala,” she wrote on Facebook.
Syd claimed she had her head hit against the wall, including in the presence of her friends and when her mother’s back was turned.
“Hanggang ngayon, araw araw kong bitbit ‘yung takot na baka mangyari ulit ito sa akin o sa kahit sino man. Sana magsilbi itong gabay sa lahat. This monster could be anywhere now doing who else knows what. Let’s watch out for each other,” she added.
Syd also included alleged screenshots of her chat with her abuser, who said she would be raped.
Latest reports indicate that Marcus has not commented on the issue.