Days after her emotional outburst on social media became viral, Lea Salonga has once again taken to Twitter to explain why she said what she said.
The outburst in question was when Lea expressed her frustration over the issues plaguing the country. “Dear Pilipinas, p***** ina, ang hirap mong mahalin,” she had said at the time, which has earned her both praise and criticism from Filipinos. “I stand with Lea Salonga” also subsequently became a Twitter trending topic.
Now, Lea has decided to clarify her statement.
“Hi, gang. It seems a recent Facebook post of mine has gotten quite a bit of attention and launched all sorts of… I don’t even know what word to use, so I thought to use this platform and this space to offer some clarification in the hope that I’m more clearly understood,” she began in a series of tweets.
“Regarding the post itself, yes I stand by every single word I wrote as an expression of my frustration with certain events currently taking place in our country. However, contrary to what some of you might believe, I never, NOT EVER, cursed the Philippines,” she continued. “To serve her is one of my greatest honors. To be able to hold my head up high and say, “Yes, I am Filipino” representing the hundreds of millions of brethren both here at home and all over the world is a source of pride and pleasure.”
She then explained that her curse word was never directed to anything or anyone, but admitted that she may have hurt people with the misunderstanding.
“So, to further clarify, I didn’t say p- i- mo, or p- i- ka. If that was what I meant, I would’ve been explicit in my expression. My p- i- was aimed at no one in particular, and was used only as an outburst, a cry. My apologies if I hurt your feelings with my choice of words,” she added.
“If after following this post you still decide to cuss me out, you’re well within your right to do so. I totally understand and get that you’re doing it as one tasked to protect our country from anyone that dares to desecrate it. Know though that that was not my intent.”
To end her statement, she thanked her fans and friends for their love and support. “You have no idea the amount of appreciation I hold in my heart for your tireless efforts to explain my side of things. Thank you so much. You will always have my gratitude,” she said.
(ALSO READ: WATCH: Lea Salonga Meets Broadway’s Original Aladdin to Sing ‘A Whole New World’)
What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments.
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