Aly Alindayu in the episode of the online dating show 'Pusuan or Laruan.' Screenshot from the Marion Aunor Official channel on YouTube

Aly Alindayu, a contestant on the online dating show "Pusuan Or Laruan," has broken her silence weeks after facing backlash on social media for her comment about being able to speak in English.

In a post made on Wednesday via Instagram, Alindayu said the backlash has caused her mental and emotional distress, calling it the "worst experience of my life."

“I didn't do anything wrong and yet I got hate DMs (direct messages), was made into memes, a sound bite, death threats and more. The hate wasn't even from a few hundred, it was from tens of thousands of people. People who I don’t even know made assumptions and defined my entire character,” Alindayu wrote in the post.

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A post shared by Aly Alindayu (@ohmygalygosh)

The video of the dating show episode was uploaded back in 2024. A portion of the episode recently resurfaced, showing Alindayu saying, "I’m an Englishera, halata. I can come off as strong to a lot of people that I try dating — they find me strong. And then, as in nosebleed. Like, I get it a lot, it doesn’t offend me."

In her post, Alindayu, 28, said she saw "nothing wrong" with her remark as she was "simply sharing my experience and stating my preferences."

"I may not have the typical American accent that you're expecting but English is my first language. I spoke Taglish because it's a Filipino show and I was adjusting. I hope you can see that I was trying," she said.

Alindayu said she was grateful to those who defended her.

She also acknowledged "those who have sent me hate."

"I hear you. We have our own preferences and I forgive you and wish you peace," she said.

Alindayu also clarified that she and the guy she appeared with on "Pusuan Or Laruan" were on good terms.

"What I said to him and what you guys have seen was a preference, not a deal breaker and I was not looking down on him or anyone," she said.

In the post's caption, Alindayu said she aspires to be an advocate against bullying following the incident.

"If you guys know where I can start, I am all ears. Maybe a podcast! I want to help other people because I do not wish this at all," she wrote.