After multiple allegations of sexual misconduct, local production company Vandals On The Wall has pulled out indie band Jensen and the Flips from the lineup of their annual Year-End festival.
How It Began
The allegations sprung up on the social media site Twitter, with user Adrienne Onday (@_tapisilog) starting a thread about her experiences of “misogyny, sexism, and predatory/manipulative behavior in the local independent music scene.” Her original accounts were of lead singer Jensen Gomez and MilesExperience guitarist Justin Teano.
Isang experience ko pang naalala: dati, December of 2014 yata ito? Basta 17 pa ako nito. Nag-reply ako dati sa tweet ni Jensen tapos ang reply niya sa akin for some reason ay “????????????????”. Uncalled for yung response at sobrang sketchy. Is it considered a sexual comment? Possibly.
— MARCOS HITLER DIKTADOR TUTA MARCOS HITLER DIKTADOR (@_tapsilog) November 21, 2017
Dati rin, Jin would make advances on me. He would make unnecessary comments especially via text na salita lang pero ramdam mong parang nava-violate ang personal space mo. “Kiss kita” “hug kita” stuff like that. We weren’t even close then.
— MARCOS HITLER DIKTADOR TUTA MARCOS HITLER DIKTADOR (@_tapsilog) November 21, 2017
Nung UP Fair 2015 or 2016, tumugtog yung Inday Bote yata yun. Nasa backstage ako kasama ng ibang friends from Msex. Si Justin nanood kasi malaki raw yung boobs nung bokalista. I laughed then para maki-ride, but my feet grow cold just thinking about it now.
— MARCOS HITLER DIKTADOR TUTA MARCOS HITLER DIKTADOR (@_tapsilog) November 21, 2017
From her stories, other women began to send her messages about their own experiences. Onday posted screenshots (or receipts as the youth like to call them) of the allegations which involved other members from both Jensen and the Flips and MilesExperience, along with accounts of members from SUD.
Re: Jimbo and Sud. Meron din kay Tim pero pinatanggal. Apparently when this was happening may girlfriend si Jimbo? pic.twitter.com/OEDI75DJT6
— MARCOS HITLER DIKTADOR TUTA MARCOS HITLER DIKTADOR (@_tapsilog) November 21, 2017
Kadiri talaga kayo. Sobrang kadiri.
Reuploaded. pic.twitter.com/uGLDbS8d8r
— MARCOS HITLER DIKTADOR TUTA MARCOS HITLER DIKTADOR (@_tapsilog) November 21, 2017
The only accused to respond to the accounts so far is Sam Valenia from Jensen and the Flips. It’s worthy to note that the allegation against him are more than just inappropriate conversations—he forced himself upon the victim while they were inside a cab. She resisted and forcibly pushed him away but he was too heavy for her to lift. The victim unfortunately had to deal with it, speaking to her friends after the incident. Valenia quoted the Tweet and released an “apology.”
Yup. Ako to.
I am really sorry sa mga taong na-offend ko at na-disappoint sa akin because of this post and because of what I did. I respect yall's opinions. I know this ain't enough but again, I am really sorry. https://t.co/ijfPbZAhsc
— sarcasam (@SamuelValenia) November 21, 2017
The Beginning of the Aftermath
Just a month ago, local concert promoters Sleeping Boy Collective cancelled the Ducktails Manila show after Matt Mondanile’s behavior circulated. Vandals On The Wall followed suit, removing Jensen and the Flips from their much-awaited The Rest Is Noise Year-End festival and issuing a statement regarding the allegations. Vandals On The Wall made it clear that they “do not and will not condone, tolerate, or enable any vile or reprehensible behavior that exploits and abuses women.”
UPDATE: Jensen and the Flips have released their official statement via their Facebook page. We wouldn’t call it an apology, however.
UPDATE: To make matters worse, Coca-Cola Philippines has decided to end their partnership with Jensen and the Flips. The band was part of the first season of Coke Studio PH.
#CokeStudioPH's Official Statement: pic.twitter.com/Qz49c0DhMt
— Coca-Cola PH (@CocaColaPH) November 23, 2017
UPDATE: The members of SUD has released a statement regarding the issues against them, and the matter involving their new bassist Raisa Racelis.
However, it doesn’t seem like the local indie scene will be letting go of these issues any time soon. If anything, now is the time to speak up about it.