Kapamilya actress-singer Francine Diaz and Orange & Lemons’ Clem Castro have now addressed a viral “singitan” incident during an event in Occidental Mindoro.
An event in Occidental Mindoro left netizens bewildered due to an apparent misunderstanding during the Governor and Vice Governor’s Night in San Jose, Occidental Mindoro, last Tuesday, April 30, where Francine and Orange & Lemons were slated to perform.
The incident led to a confusing line-up, conflicting performances, and debates among the artists’ fans.
According to ABS-CBN News, Francine was scheduled to perform after Orange & Lemons, but due to a two-hour delay, the actress’ camp requested she perform earlier as she was only set for one song.
Unfortunately, this communication did not reach Orange & Lemons, resulting in Diaz performing while the band was conducting their soundcheck.
Social media exploded with speculation and criticism in the aftermath. Reflecting on the situation, Clem expressed his desire for damage control and regretted the rapid escalation of the incident.
“The night after the show, when we woke up, everything exploded,” the vocalist said.
“Gusto kong mag-damage control on the matter, because it’s getting out of hand. It was so fast. Social media was so fast,” he added.
Recognizing the need to address the issue promptly, he attempted to arrange meetings with Diaz and other relevant parties, though the actress had already left for Manila.
“We started to see a lot of hate messages, or mentions. It’s a little frustrating and at the same time, stressful,” he said, “I understand the gravity of the matter, so I asked for an audience, kaso wala na sila Francine lumipad na sila to Manila.”
“So I asked for an audience with the Vice Governor, with the local government, with Kylee to clear the air. We can understand, totally what happened,” shared Clem.
Castro emphasized the frustration caused by online speculation and misinformation, highlighting the importance of discussion before releasing any statements to avoid further confusion or escalation.
“What you see online, all the videos and the postings, were just mere speculations. There’s no clear representation on what happened online. Kami lang lahat nakakaalam and we discussed it internally,” he addressed.
“We never released any official statement because we didn’t want to fuel the fire,” Clem clarified, stressing further, “We don’t want more assumptions, more judgments from the masses, music supporters, or fans. We don’t want to give more confusions.”
Following the incident, Francine and Clem, along with their managers and event organizers, met for a dinner meeting to address the altercation.
“There was tension,” said Castro, who was revealed the one who initiated and called for the meeting.
During the discussion, Castro reportedly took responsibility for his actions, acknowledging a lapse in judgment due to the chaotic backstage environment and the pressure of the delayed event.
“When we started the meeting, of course I apologized for my actions. There was a lapse of judgment on my part because of that miscommunication that Francine’s camp was requesting,” he added. “But everyone was tired, we were tired. There was pressure.”
Both artists also admitted to the absence of proper briefing backstage, contributing to the miscommunication.
“The show was two hours delayed. So, ambilis ng pangyayari. Magulo backstage. Things got out of hand and out of control,” Clem recalled.
“I apologized for my behavior, I explained my side. They explained their side. And we found the root cause of the problem – it’s miscommunication,” he added.
On the other hand, Francine expressed regret for her actions during the incident, acknowledging her disrespect towards the band was not her intention and and merely due to “intimidation”.
“Okay na po kami ni Sir Clem … Okay naman na po, nagkaayos naman na,” the actress said.
“Pero nag-sorry din po ako kay Sir Clem, kasi at that time, I wasn’t thinking properly,” Diaz admitted.
“Wala ako sa right state of mind… I should’ve acknowledged them. But because of intimidation, hindi ko po alam yung gagawin ko,” she explained.
She continued, “Nag-apologize din po ako kay Sir Clem, kasi kahit hindi ko po intention na mag-disrespect, ganun po ang nangyari. Ganun yung naging kalabasan.”
With apologies exchanged and the root cause identified as miscommunication, Diaz and Castro have officially announced their reconciliation, even sharing their photo taken together.
The two also discussed potential collaborations, with Clem offering to write songs for Francine, and the latter extending an invitation to the vocalist for her upcoming movie premiere with reel partner Seth Fedelin as her “peace offering”.
