'Miscommunication': Francine Diaz, Orange & Lemons clarify viral Mindoro gig

MANILA, Philippines — It's a lesson learned for all parties as the organizers have found the "root cause" of the viral Mindoro gig mishap between Orange & Lemons and actress Francine Diaz. 

In an exclusive interview with ABS-CBN's MJ Felipe, the band's vocalist Clem Castro, Francine and producer and organizer Kylee Dioneda cleared the issue and clarified what happened on the night of April 30 in San Jose, Occidental Mindoro where the gig happened. 

"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 said. "Lahat po kami talaga hindi namin maiwasan ang mga ganitong scenario na nangyayari. Talagang, sobrang pasensiya po sa mga nangyari."

Dioneda and Castro confirmed that they immediately met to clarify what transpired the night of the viral gig. It was Castro who called for the meeting. 

"The day after the show, when we wake 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 said. 

"We started to see a lot of hate messages or mentions. You know, it’s a little frustrating and at the same time, stressful. I understand the gravity of the matter, so I asked for an audience, kaso wala na sila Francine lumipad na sila to Manila," he added. 

Castro saw the need for the meeting to address and clarify the viral incident because the videos that circulated online were just "mere speculations." He said that they were not "clear representation" on what transpired and so they had to discuss it internally. 

"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 further give more confusion," the Orange & Lemons frontman explained. 

He also admitted that there was a "tension" during the meeting, but apologies were made. He also revealed that the show was delayed by two hours. 

"When we started the meeting, siyempre I apologized for my actions. There was a lapse of judgment on my part because of that miscommunication that Francine's camp was requesting. But everyone was tired, we were tired. There was pressure," Castro said.

"The show was two hours delayed. So, ang bilis ng pangyayari. Tapos medyo magulo sa backstage. Things got out of hand and out of control," he added.

"So I started the meeting, I apologized for my behavior and I explained my side. They explained their side. And we found the root cause of the problem — it’s miscommunication, even with the host, our management team, Francine's handler, the organizers. So hindi lang nagtugma-tugma 'yung communication," Castro also said. 

The vocalist also said that the young singer-actress has apologized to him, saying that she was just "doing what she thinks she's supposed to do." 

"No judgment on that, 'yun nga lang, nagkaroon ng misunderstanding on who's going onstage. It's a lesson learned for everyone," he said. 

Francine, meanwhile, apologized for not having the "right state of mind" that night and for not acknowledging the band. 

As seen on the viral video, Francine was called on stage while Orange & Lemons were tuning before starting their set. The band was supposed to play before the actress, who performed a cover of Taylor Swift's song. 

"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," Francine said. 

Because of this, she ended up talking to the audience. 

"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," she said. 

Castro remarked that the incident was a "good precedent" for concert producers and artists to be careful when it comes to organizing events. 

The vocalist said the meeting ended well, with both his band and Francine talking about future collaborations. 

Francine confirmed this, "He offered po, Sir Clem offered na parang kung meron akong gagawing songs in the future, pwede siyang magsulat for me. At kung meron akong sinusulat, pwede niyang mas ayusin pa yun. Ako rin po as my peace offering, ininvite ko po siya sa araw na isho-show 'yung first movie namin ni Seth." 

RELATED: 'Respeto lang ba': Orange & Lemons, Francine Diaz's Mindoro gig goes viral