MANILA, Philippines—Ten months after the announcement of the Philippine leg of their worldwide concert tour, avid Filipino fans of UK boy band sensation One Direction are finally getting to see their idols in the flesh.
Fans of 1D, also known as Directioners, have been tirelessly tearing up the Philippine social media scene as they count down the days until the boys arrive in the country for their scheduled Manila concert.
One Direction, comprised of Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson, will be performing at the SM Mall of Asia Concert Grounds on March 21 and 22 as part of the Philippine leg of their “On the Road Again Tour.”
Social media circles in the country were set ablaze after it was confirmed that Music Management International had snagged the elusive 1D gig.
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Consisting predominantly of teenage fangirls, Directioners in their thousands flocked to Pasay City to camp outside the ticket servicing venue to ensure that they got a hold of the highly treasured tickets, even if it meant camping outside all night.
STORY: One Direction fans head in one direction—to MOA for tickets of 2015 concert
The massive demand for tickets meant that the concert sold out just within two hours.
The wailing and weeping of Directioners who failed to get a hold of the precious tickets contrast with the joyous exultation of triumphant ticket holders.
Much to the relief of the ticketless fans, organizers of the concert later announced via Twitter that the five-man group were also set to perform for a second night on March 22.
The head of Music Management International, Rhiza Pascua, tweeted this message on May 25, 2014.
MMI’s announcement was well received by fans who missed out on the tickets for the first day.
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The event marked the first of many more emotional troughs and crests for the Directioners, as the much-awaited concert was still almost a year away.
A music industry insider later revealed to the Inquirer that it was the plan all along.
“The local promoters actually made a bid for two shows,” he said.
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Like many other high profile performances, scalpers descended upon the highly coveted tickets and drove the prices up, much to the dismay of the Directioners—and their parents.
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It was also around the end of May 2014 when the controversial video of both Malik and Tomlinson went viral, enjoying what seemed to be a suspicious looking rolled-up cigarette.
STORY: One Direction members caught on video smoking marijuana
Local fans immediately leapt to their defense.
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Not all fans were as accepting, however. Tweets from all around the world also expressed disappointment with their alleged drug use.
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The Filipino Directioners then set their sights on television host/musician Lourd de Veyra, after he published a seemingly innocuous tweet (which has since been deleted) which said:
“Cause you’ve got that one thing” = Marijuana”
Fans were unamused.
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De Veyra took the backlash in stride, in which he poked fun at the comments hurled against him by furious One Direction fans.
Even members of the Church weighed in on the issue. Fr. Conegundo Garganta, executive secretary of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines Episcopal Commission on Youth, appealed to parents to forbid their children from attending the upcoming concert.
“Do not lead them in the wrong direction … Be discerning on where you are leading your children,” Garganta said.
STORY: CBCP tells parents: Don’t let kids watch 1D
Philippine 1D fans did not take kindly to the priest’s comments.
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CBCP president Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas later clarified that the statement did not represent the views of the CBCP.
“This was an individual’s position but CBCP is being implicated in it again. I think this is unnecessary exposure of CBCP to adverse reaction,” Villegas explained.
STORY: Priest’s call to ban One Direction is his, not CBCP’s, says Villegas
As soon as the video surfaced, the antidrug group Laban ng Pamilyang Pilipino urged the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) to block the band’s entrance to the country at first sign of prohibited substances.
STORY: NGO: No drug test, no PH entry for One Direction
The NGO said that the band should comply with the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. Marijuana is included in the list of illegal substances covered by the Act.
The drug use controversy would later come back to haunt the British supergroup just weeks before their big day in Manila.
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As the date of the concert drew closer, overly eager fans fell victim to a hoax which led them to believe that Harry Styles—arguably the most famous member of the group—was scheduled to arrive on March 18, three days ahead of the slated concert date.
The hashtag #harryisnotcomingtoday trended at No. 1 due to the sheer volume of tweets on the issue.
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Music Management International head Rhiza Pascua eventually had to step in to calm fans.
Barely a day after the fangirls were “stood up” at the airport, Directioners were once again given reason to worry after they learned of the Bureau of Immigration’s (BI) imposed bonds on the band, which amounted to $5,000 (around P200,000) for each of the boys.
READ: $5K ‘weed bond’ imposed on One Direction
Malik and Tomlinson, the One Direction members who figured in the drug video, were additionally required to post $447 each (around P20,000) for their special work permits.
The bonds were to be forfeited should any of the band members be found violating existing Philippine drug laws, which stipulates against the promotion or usage of dangerous drugs.
Should the band fail to post the bonds, BI spokesperson Elaine Tan warned that they would be prohibited from performing within the country.
Even non-Filipino 1D fans confessed that this was the first time that they heard of the term “weed bond.”
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The CBCP’s Fr. Garganta also returned with a new announcement following the BI’s order. Garganta took his previous statement a step further, calling on the government to ban One Direction’s entrance into the Philippines entirely.
Garganta claimed that it was necessary to “protect the minds and senses of Filipinos from being poisoned.”
Further adding to the woes of young fans, Zayn Malik had taken a flight back to Britain after complaining of stress. The band would have to perform without him for their March 21 and 22 concert in Manila.
STORY: Zayn Malik won’t be at the Manila leg of One Direction world tour
Fangirls were understandably upset at the sudden development.
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Fans vented their frustration online, criticizing the government for their handling of the situation. The Directioners used a combination of hashtags to express their displeasure.
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The remaining members of the band are still set to perform on March 21 and 22.