‘Disgraceful’: Yolanda-themed concert cancelled after uproar

MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – Its tagline was “Party like it never happened; remember because it did.” But it looks like “#FYolanda,” a benefit dance concert organized by citizens to commemorate the one-year anniversary for Super Typhoon Yolanda, will no longer happen.

In a post on the event’s Facebook invitation, host Calai Cinco announced that they were cancelling the concert “due to a number of reasons,” although none were stated explicitly. 

“In order to continue raising funds for educational scholarships and continue our mission,” she adds, “We will be arranging alternative ways to pursue our fundraising and will be updating everyone as soon as this is finalized. …We apologize to everyone who has been offended by the prospect of the event.”

The event was to be held at the Balyuan Ampitheater in Tacloban City on Friday, November 7, the eve of the anniversary. The problem? Some netizens felt that the event and its messaging was not appropriate, given the tragic nature of last year’s events. 

One of the complaints involved the slogans placed on the T-shirts sold by the group to raise funds. Statements like, “Eat, Pray, Loot,” “Akala ko Tsunami, Storm Surge Pala (I thought it was a tsunami, but it was a storm surge),” and “We don’t die, we eat puday” (puday means “vagina” in Waray) struck some netizens as insensitive, especially given that looting and a lack of storm surge knowledge were some of the worrisome issues involved in the tragedy. 

Below is a sampling of the reactions towards #FYolanda, some criticizing the event, others defending it: 

The hosts of the event, according to its Facebook invite, were Cinco, Elsa Thomasma, Bogart Capon, Rachel Cerna, Aureen Gaile Mataro, Sunshine Tan Racaza, Vic Gloria, Vivian M Flores, Ian Delgado, and Jonathan Miers. A Facebook note by Thomasma claimed the event was approved by Tacloban City’s local government and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). – Rappler.com