*This story has been updated at 5:20 p.m. on April 26. 2021. The original article, "Liza Soberano to Angel Locsin: 'You Don't Need to Say Sorry'" was published on April 25, 2021.
After receiving backlash for her comment on Angel Locsin's apology regarding the death of a senior at a community pantry line, Liza Soberano went on her personal Twitter account to finally address the situation.
She wrote, "Many people misunderstood my comment. I meant don't say sorry to the people demanding a sorry from her that have nothing to do with the situation. Of course it's only right and natural for ate Angel to be sorry about the life that was lost."
Liza clarified that her comment was not for the family of Rolando Dela Cruz but for those who blame Angel for the senior citizen's death.
"It's just unfair to me that her intentions were twisted and she's being blamed for the death that she never intended to happen. Sorry if the family affected by this for offended by my comment but this was not for you but the people blaming her," the actress said.
**
Original article published April 25, 2021:
Last week, Angel Locsin announced that she will be opening a community pantry in Quezon City to celebrate her birthday. She was inspired by the initiative that originated in Maginhawa, which has now become a popular project in many cities and provinces locally.
Angel's community pantry was set to open on Friday, April 23, at 10 A.M. However, an unfortunate incident caused the project to be shut down less than a day since operations began. A 67-year-old man, identified as Rolando Dela Cruz, passed away while queueing for aid. It was said that he was in line since 3 A.M. and was involved in an argument with other citizens in line for the pantry.
After the incident, Angel immediately went on social media to apologize for what happened. "Bago po ang lahat, humihingi po ako ng tawad sa pamilya. Kanina po pinuntahan at nakapagusap po kami ng personal ng mga anak nya sa ospital. At habang buhay po ako hihingi ng patawad sa kanila," part of the actress' apology reads.
"Ang nangyari po ay akin pong pagkakamali. Sana po’y wag madamay ang ibang community pantries na maganda po ang nangyari. Sa ngayon po, I will prioritize helping the family and I will make it my responsibility to help them get through this. I am very very sorry."
In the comments section, Vice Ganda, Dimples Romana, Iza Calzado, Alessandra de Rossi, and more celebrities comforted Angel and offered their condolences to the deceased and his family.
However, Liza Soberano's comment on the post was not as well-received as the others. Liza's comment reads, "You don't need to say sorry ate dahil hindi mo naman ginusto ang mga nangyari. We will be praying for tatay's soul, for his family who is mourning and for your good health and peace of mind."
Netizens were quick to point out the error in her statement, stressing that it's "insensitive" for the young actress to imply that Angel did not need to apologize.
"She [doesn't] need to say sorry? We're talking about a death of a man here. Yes it was not her fault, but a simple sorry was appreciated," one commenter wrote.
Another netizen commented, "Comfort her in some other way, but telling her she does not need to say sorry is tone deaf at best and morally irresponsible at worst. You just devalued Mang Ronaldo's life."
Meanwhile, other commenters saw through the good intent in Liza's comment and came to her defense. "Liza didn't say [Angel was] wrong for apologizing. She's consoling [Angel] to not blame herself because what happened to tatay wasn't [her fault]. And that's what the family of the bereaved said too," one user said.
Although Liza has not responded to the backlash on Instagram, the story of Angel's community pantry continues.
A senior citizen fastlane has since been established to prevent similar incidents, and Angel revealed that they will just donate the remaining goods to other pantries and barangays. All of the residents of Brgy. Holy Spirit who went to the community pantry can also avail of free COVID-19 testing if they exhibit any symptoms of the virus.
Hey, Preview readers! Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Tiktok, and Twitter to stay up to speed on all things trendy and creative. We’ll curate the most stylish feed for you!
