This goes back to my point. Much of the time, you can fit 3rd party parts, blueprint parts etc, but like any car, there will be one or two areas where you really need to stay OEM. My car's a patchwork of blueprint and motorfactor parts, as well as some modified, upgraded things like stainless exhaust and coil overs. It's fine to run the Accord that way. I've got various blueprint bearings and sensors and bushes and drop links etc... Only time I've replaced with OEM are a couple of very specific electronic things like headlamp adjusters and clutch as at the time it was on a price match promotion.
Although I own a petrol and haven't experienced the fuel filter issue first hand, I can tell you without hesitation, having been on this forum for almost a decade and seen hundreds of posts the same, the iCDTI will simply not function right unless it has the OEM fuel filter. When other things go wrong with your car, use the cost effective means of repair, don't kid yourself into thinking that you've purchased a diva of car, you haven't. But in this one instance, I ***ure you, you're safest using the OEM part. If you don't, the symptoms will reoccur soon.