Donnalyn Bartolome admits 'wrong choice of words' in viral 'back to work' remarks

Donnalyn Bartolome caught the ire of netizens when she questioned why some people were sad to be going back to work after the holidays.

Among her comments included: "Diba dapat masaya ka kasi may chance ka na pagandahin buhay mo at ng pamilya?"  She quickly went viral afterwards.

In a series of new posts on Facebook, the vlogger and internet personality said her remarks "could have been phrased better," and that they failed to express what she wanted to say.

She clarified that the positivity in her message stemmed not from privilege but from her own experiences.

"Naranasan kong wala nang trabaho kaya siguro sobra ko pahalagahan... naranasan ko magcommute sa Bus, MRT, Jeep, FX, Tricycle... 'yung pila, siksikan, init... alam ko talaga," she said.

Donnalyn said that her grandfather was a janitor, and that her upbringing is the reason for her mindset.

"Sasakay kami sa bus... walang bahid na reklamo sa init at pagod kaya na-adapt ko siguro? Nakapagpatapos siya ng tatlong anak, wala talagang negative na lumabas sa bibig niya tungkol sa trabaho niya, proud pa siya dala-dala niya pa apo niya sa pag-ja-janitor." Jokingly, she added. "Men baka kaya magaling ako mag-mop cause I got it from my lolo?"

She also said that her hardships reached the point where she would kneel and plead to God just for something to eat the next day, as well as money for her tuition and household bills.

However, she admitted that she chose the wrong choice of words.

"I’m only sharing these experiences in hopes to show sincerity of me admitting that error and not just to save face, kasi like all of you may pinagdaanan din ako so last thing I’d want to do is hurt any of you," she said. "Madali mag-sorry pero how do you know the person really meant no harm? 'Pag nakilala mo siyang konti. That is the purpose of this post."

Netizens remain divided, as some condluded that she meant no harm, while others pointed out that her past experiences do not justify invalidating other people's struggles.

"I agree with you," Donnalyn replied. "That’s why I admitted that I used the wrong words."

—JCB, GMA Integrated News