'Englishera Girl' Aly Alindayu breaks silence over viral memes on dating game show
Aly Alindayu, a participant in Marion Aunor's Pusuan or Laruan dating game, has spoken out about her viral “Englishera” remark on the show, leading to many mixed reactions from netizens.
“It's been 2 weeks since the spliced video was uploaded (before I had it taken down). This will be the first time I will open up to the public about this,” she announced in her Instagram post on Wednesday.
Aly said the incident has been the worst experience of her life. "I didn't do anything wrong and yet I got hate DMs, was made into memes, a sound bite, death threats and more."
She continued, "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 character."
She addressed the viral clip from the episode, originally uploaded in August 2024, "Maybe I could have used different words but I am only echoing what people have said to me."
“I have experienced this ever since I was young. I get bullied no matter what language I use,” she added.
Aly added that she and the guy paired with her on the show became friends in real life, “He was not offended by the things I said. What I said to him and what you guys [saw] was a preference, not a deal breaker and I was not looking down on him or anyone.”
She also clarified that English is her first language even though she doesn't have an American English accent.
“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.”
Despite the trauma, Aly said she is blessed with people, even celebrities and content creators, who have stood up for her.
She also expressed wanting to become an advocate for anti-bullying after her experience. " 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," Aly said in her Instagram caption.
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