Another band accused of sexual misconduct in a series of tweets that went viral Wednesday night have also apologized for some but not all of the allegations against them.
Alternative soul group Sud posted this lengthy statement on their Facebook page.
“We recognize the actions that have caused everyone, especially the women that have come forward with their stories. and though some of the allegations are untrue, we sincerely apologize for the ones that have caused women to become uncomfortable.
“We are sorry. It was never our intention for our actions to come across the way they did. We recognize that we have no say whether they were violated by our actions and we put them in a position they were not comfortable in, and for that we will accept the repercussions of what we did.
“We are taking these matters seriously, and as much as we are owning up to the things we did, we feel extremely saddened for some things that are accused of us and we are taking measures in resolving this. For the ones we know are true, we are firmly owning up to those.
“We fully support the dialogue sparked by this incident and condemn all forms of sexual harassment. As beings of this generation, every day is a learning experience. And we will strive to become good examples for everyone involved in the local music scene. And always have an open ear to criticism and call outs.
“Lastly, we acknowledge the matter involving our bassist, Raisa Racelis. This has been resolved privately. We would like to plead for everyone to please respect her privacy at this time. To everyone reading this, we appreciate you and all things you stand for. Things that we all should stand for. And thank you for starting a revolution of awareness and change.”
It was not exactly known what the band resolved with their lone female member. But the controversial thread triggered on Twitter by a series of tweets by University of the Philippines sociology student Adrienne Onday (@_tapsilog on Twitter) specifically mentioned Sud members Sud Ballecer, Kohl Aguilar and Jimbo Cuenco as among the indie musicians who are accused of sexual misconduct.
In a Facebook post, Cuenco posted, “this is probably the worst time of my life.”
As a result of the allegations against Sud, UP Babaylan, the LGBTQ+ student organization at the University of the Philippines, issued a statement saying they will not invite Sud and other accused performers for their upcoming UP Fair scheduled for early next year.
“In light of the recent allegations of sexual harassment involving a few bands, UP Babaylan is withdrawing and will not be sending invitations to performers involved in this controversy, particularly Sud, for our UP Fair night on February 14…As an organization upholding the rights of women, we strongly condemn misogyny in all its manifestation. We further appeal to our fellow UP Fair organizers to neither tolerate nor welcome perpetuators of violence especially against women at the centerstage of our University. We remain firm that these behaviors have no place in our community…Let us create safer spaces for women to speak up and be empowered against the injustices of society!”
Earlier, Jensen and the Flips and Ang Bandang Shirley issued their own statements of apology in response to the controversy. Two other bands whose members were also accused of inappropriate behavior — MilesExperience and Paranoid City — have yet to issue their own statements.
Despite their apology, Jensen and the Flips are still feeling the repercussions of the issues against them. Already scratched off the line-up of “The Rest is Noise Year-End” concert, the band was also dropped from this year’s “Maskipaps” music festival.
“We, including the supporters of our event simply do not tolerate harassment in any form possible. We hope that through our collective action, we could finally put an end to this kind of behavior,” said organizers concert organizers the UP Beta Epsilon Fraternity and concert promoter Super Awesome Productions in a joint statement posted on the “Maskipaps” Twitter page.
