‘Mas masakit ‘pag galing sa kapwa Pilipino’: Pia Wurtzbach holds back tears in addressing bashers

MANILA, Philippines — Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach stopped herself from crying as she read her Women’s Month manifesto at L’Oreal Paris’ “Sayang? No, I’m worth it” campaign launch last week in Manila for which she was among the endorsers.

In her speech, Pia professed that her mental health was affected by social media bashing.

“May mga panahon na matatamaan ka talaga sa mga naririnig at nababasa mo. Minsan, galing pa sila sa mga taong malalapit sa’yo. At para sa’kin… Mas masakit pa nga ‘pagka galing sa kawa Pilipino. Lalo na ‘pagka galing sa kapwa babae,” she declared while trying to hold back tears.

“’Di ba kung ibang lahi parang, okay lang, kaya ko. Pero kasi ‘pagka galing sa kababayan mo tapos sa iba pang babae, hindi talaga madali. Mas masakit.”

She, however, had a message to anyone who tries to put her down.

“If there's anything people should probably know about me by now, is that the more you tell me ‘No,’ the more I'm going to try to prove you wrong. Don't tell me I can't do something because that is the sure way for me to try to make it happen. Nothing fuels me more than negativity - bashers, naysayers, people who diminish my efforts and my worth, people who diminish my worth," she stressed. — Video by Deni Bernardo; additional video editing by Martin Ramos, Anjilica Andaya