Volleyball star Denden Lazaro defends right to personal space in response to viral video

After being criticized for prioritizing her personal space over allowing a male fan to put his arms around her in Bacolod over the weekend, popular volleyball player Denden Lazaro took to Twitter to defend her move.

There are certain situations that make a person feel uncomfortable like when random people invade one’s personal space.

— Dennise Lazaro (@denniselazaro) November 5, 2017

And to me personal space is something I highly value.

— Dennise Lazaro (@denniselazaro) November 5, 2017

She also apologized people she unintentionally offended, and thanked her supporters.

I apologize if I offended anybody with my action. But i don’t apologize for being me.

— Dennise Lazaro (@denniselazaro) November 5, 2017

I’d like to thank everyone who has been sending me love & positivity. I really appreciate the support & understanding ????????

— Dennise Lazaro (@denniselazaro) November 5, 2017

To my friends & supporters, you are my rock ??

— Dennise Lazaro (@denniselazaro) November 5, 2017

In Bacolod over the weekend, Denden Lazaro and the rest of Cocolife pulled off a big win against Cignal in the Philippine Super Liga Grand Prix, 19-25, 24-26, 27-25, 25-16, 15-9.

But it was her spot-on reaction off-court that got people talking. During a photo-op at the lobby of L'Fisher Hotel, a male fan attempted to put his arms around Denden, which the former Atenean swiftly avoided.

The move was caught on cam and uploaded on Facebook, where it's been viewed more than 2 million times.

Bashers of course, were ever present, calling her "maarte", "feeling superstar", and a slew of other similar criticisms.

We don't know about them Miss Lazaro, but we think you did the right thing. When somebody's making you feel uncomfortable, you do something about it.

Personal space should be respected. People should understand that touching is not always welcome, even if you don't think it's malicious. — LA, GMA News