In an exclusive web-only interview that ABS-CBN uploaded on its YouTube channel on Fri, Jan 15, Director Cathy Garcia-Molina spoke with Boy Abunda regarding the open letter that bit players of the 2014 teleserye Forevermore wrote and published in Facebook.
In the 17-minute long interview, Garcia-Molina said she decided to speak about the issue because her family is being dragged and death threats are being left in various comment threads where the issue is being discussed.
“I admit nagkamali ako, I admit nagmumura po ako,” the director says. “I never lied [about it]. I turn, I morph into a monster but with all good intentions [para] mapaganda ang show. Hindi ko pinagtatanggol na tama ang aking pagmumura. Pero ilagay natin sa konteksto,” she explains.
What wasn’t written in the letter was the number of times the bit player committed mistakes, she said.
Had she known that they were rookies to the game, Garcia-Molina said she would’ve shown them more patience. “You come into my set as an actor, I expect you to deliver as an actor,” she continues.
On Dec 30, 2015, Rossellyn Domingo wrote an open letter on Facebook where she decried Garcia-Molina’s extreme behavior on the set of Forevermore. She said the director humiliated her and her boyfriend Alvin Campomanes.
The two had filed a complain with ABS-CBN in 2014 but in the letter, they said the network had yet to respond to them.
On Jan 5, 2016, the Kapamilya network issued a statement saying it sought a meeting with Domingo and Campomanes through MTQ Promotions and Talent Management, the agency which engaged their services for the project. MTQ however, got back to ABS-CBN, saying such a meeting would be unnecessary because they had already resolved the matter.
Forevermore business unit head Des Tanwangco also issued a statement saying the same thing. When MTQ owner Ms. Rejano told them that there as no need for a meeting, “we did not inform Direk Cathy of the complaint and the supposed meeting,” a portion of the statement reads.
“Had I known that I humiliated him, I would’ve said sorry right there and then. It’s not hard for me to say sorry and accept my mistake,” an emotional Garcia-Molina continued.
“Pareho lang kami nagbitiw ng masasakit na salita, magkaiba lang kami ng intensyon. I never intended to hurt anyone. But with the words I’ve been reading towards me and my family, parang walang ibang intensyon kundi saktan ako at husgahan ako, sa isang bagay na hindi man lang nila narinig ang side ko.”
On Facebook Saturday morning, Campomanes commented on Garcia-Molina’s interview, still sounding angry at the director. He says they’ve turned down several interview requests from other networks because they didn’t want the issue to be used against ABS-CBN.
“Maling-mali ang pahayag na ‘pagmumura lang’ ang kanyang ginawa. Halimbawa, nang sigawan niya ako ng ‘alam mo, ikaw, inutil ka!’ at hinayaan niyang pinagtawanan ako sa set, hindi ba pagpapahiya ang tawag doon,” a portion of his reaction reads.
Ngayong umaga ko lamang napanood ang interview ni Boy Abunda kay Cathy Garcia Molina. Narito ang aking reaksyon sa…
Posted by Alvin Campomanes on Friday, 15 January 2016
