Donnalyn Bartolome pens lengthy apology letter for 'insensitive' back to work post
Days after Donnalyn Bartolome was criticized for her toxic positivity post, the content creator has penned a lengthy post where she both defends and apologizes for her actions.
In her latest post, Donnalyn opened by expressing her gratitude to those who didn't take her words negatively and proceeded to defend herself by explaining that her back to work post did not come from privilege, but rather from "experience."
"Hindi lang talaga ako pala-share ng hirap kasi lagi kong iniisip na baka lalo akong makabigat sa buhay niyo. Mali pala 'yun. Okay din pala na minsan malaman ng mga tao yung hirap mo at hindi lang yung success mo," Donnalyn wrote.
She added, "Ang dating talaga is wala akong karapatan magsalita. Nakaka-baffle nga naman 'yung mga taong sobrang positive kasi parang wala silang dinadala."
Explaining that it is a "defense mechanism" of hers to stay positive, the 28-year-old internet personality went on to stress that she is just like everybody else—that she has also experienced the harships of grinding for work.
"Dumating ako sa point na lumuluhod ako nagmamakaawa kay God para may makain the next day, pangbayad sa tuition, sa bahay, at sa bills," Donnalyn recounted, sharing throwback pictures of her life before she became a content creator.
"Naranasan kong wala nang trabaho kaya siguro sobra ko [itong] pahalagahan. Naranasan ko mag-commute sa bus, MRT, jeep, FX, tricycle... 'yung pila, siksikan, at init alam ko talaga," she wrote.
According to her, she adopted her positive mindset about work from her grandfather and mother who, despite having low-paying jobs as a janitor and a bananacue seller respectively, never once complained about their daily grind.
"Dinala ko hanggang sa paglaki ko. I clinged to it. Kaya when it was time for me to work, noong tinuruan akong tumayo sa sarili kong paa nang walang tulong, kapag may struggles, ang hirap magreklamo. Nahihiya ako sa pinanggalingan ng lolo ko, ng mommy ko, at ng dad ko." Donnalyn shared.
She ended her post by emphasizing, "I admitted mali ang choice of words ko. And 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."
Many netizens reacted positively towards Donnalyn's posted, including weathercaster Kim Atienza, who said that she was coming from a good place, but some still noted how her mistake was that she was "invalidating" the negative sentiments of other towards their work.
"This issue is not about whether we experience hardships in life or kung sino may "mas mabigat" na problema sa buhay. The previous post po kasi can be an example of invalidation and neflect of deeper issues—issues that of left unchecked can lead to a loss of life," one user commented.
They added, "If we look around us, there are people who choose to suffer na lang in silence and not say anything about their struggles kasi nga minsan nakakahiya naman or baka walang may pakialam."
To recall, Donnalyn drew flak for her "toxic positivity" post about how people should be happy and grateful for getting back on the grind as not everyone has the privilege of having a stable job.
"Bakit may sad dahil back to work na? 'Di ba dapat masaya ka kasi may chance ka na pagandahin buhay mo at ng pamilya? Trip ko pa nga may work ng Jan. 1 dahil superstition ko may work ako buong taon pag ganun," Bartolome wrote on Jan. 3.
While some of her supporters agreed with her, others called her "privileged" and "insensitive" as many are not happy with their jobs and are only slaving away to pay off their bills.
It is not the first time that the content creator was mired with controversy. Back in July last year, she was criticized for posing as a toddler for her birthday shoot as some said that it romanticizes and promotes pedophilia. A month later, her "kanto"-themed birthday party also drew flak as some saw it as "poverty porn."