Singer and actress Zsa Zsa Padilla could not help but express her disappointment with what she and her other co-awardees experienced during the recently concluded 38th Aliw Awards night.
Aliw Awards is an annual event presented by the Aliw Awards Foundation to recognize excellence in live entertainment. On December 15, the foundation held its 38th awards night.
In two Instagram posts, Zsa Zsa expressed how elated she was to be a recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award. However, she also felt disappointed with what she and her co-recipients experienced.
The Divine Diva shared that while she did not prepare a speech, she was ready to speak from the heart, as she has 42 years to be thankful for.
“I wanted to honor all the producers who worked tirelessly and risked their hard-earned money to mount concerts; the directors, musical directors, musicians, writers, and production teams behind every show; all the artists I’ve had the privilege of collaborating with throughout these 42 years; and most of all, our beloved audience,” Zsa Zsa said.
She added that she intended to keep her remarks short, especially since members of her family were to show their love, support, and encouragement.
“However, what happened during the awarding left me shocked and deeply disappointed,” ZsaZsa said.
TAKE A LOOK AT THE KAPUSO STARS NOMINATED FOR THE 38TH ALIW AWARDS IN THIS GALLERY:
Zsa Zsa shared that all Lifetime Achievement Award recipients were called on stage together, but only she and Lani Misalucha for Live Performance; and Frankie Asinero for classical music were in attendance. However, they were not given a chance to speak their piece, and instead, they were asked to step down.
“As I exited the ballroom, a vlogger asked for my thoughts on receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award. Ironically, that became the moment I delivered the acceptance speech I was never allowed to give onstage,” ZsaZsa said.
She added that after delivering her supposed acceptance speech to the vlogger, she felt like crying and was dumbfounded about how Aliw supposedly dismissed them abruptly.
To this, ZsaZsa asked the foundation: “Aliw, please do better.”
She also said, “Honor people properly. Prepare video presentations explaining why recipients are being given Lifetime Achievement Awards. I am familiar with the body of work of Lani Misalucha, as well as fellow recipients Gary Valenciano and Jed Madela. It would have been truly interesting and meaningful to learn more about Mr. Arturo Luis Pio’s work, as well as Mr. Frankie Asinero’s contributions,” ZsaZsa said.
The singer-actress also noted how sincerity was missing from the awards night, saying that she felt small and embarrassed instead of honored after walking off the stage.
“For that reason, I am returning the award to you. I hope you understand this gesture and take it as an opportunity to learn how to honor your recipients with the respect they deserve,” ZsaZsa finished.
