After one fan called out the show Ang Probinsyano for using and editing the wedding photo of Dingdong Dantes and Marian Rivera, and again with their daughter’s baptism for two separate episodes of the show “without the consent of our photographer and our family,” as Dingdong pointed out, the show issued an apology, saying “There was no intent to disrespect or offend him and his family in the use of their photos in the program.”  

This was after Dingdong sent a letter to the network to address his concern. A part of his letter read: “I appreciate that you found artistic inspiration from the original photos. Unfortunately, there is the inescapable consequence that legal and moral rights were violated here. And as you may very well be aware of, established industry practice is against such act as it amounts to disrespect. Worst of all, as a father and husband, I cannot help but feel offended and deeply hurt by such actions, which happened not just once, but twice. Basic rules of courtesy in this case dictate that you first secure permission from the photographer and my family.”

The ABS-CBN show has since promised to investigate the issue and had this to say regarding the mistake: “The production team commissioned a third-party contractor to create the photo props used in the program,” adding that “It was not aware that the original of the photographs used were those from Mr. Dantes’ wedding and the baptism of his daughter.”

Netizens, however, don’t seem convinced with the apology.

 
screengrab from @thedongyanatics Instagram

One netizen said, “The show knows better. Respect and know your boundaries.”