MANILA — Actress and TV host Maine Mendoza publicly apologized on Friday over decade-old tweets that have resurfaced, saying her choice of words at the time were “careless.”

Earlier in the day, a number of Mendoza’s tweets from 2010 and 2011 circulated on social media. Among them were statements where she used “gay” and its Filipino equivalent “bading” as insults.

Screenshots of those tweets, made when Mendoza was 15 or 16 years old, drew mixed reactions, with some expressing disappointment, and others pointing out that the actress would have been less informed at the time.

Within hours, Mendoza, now 26, responded to the criticisms surrounding her past statements.

Through the years, I have learned to be more careful with my thoughts and words – and how it would affect the people around me. Hope you hear me out this time. Praying for everyone’s safety and sanity in these trying times. ♥️

— Maine Mendoza (@mainedcm) April 16, 2021

“Hi tweeps! I’ve been receiving a lot of messages about my tweets several years ago. Sending my sincerest apologies to those whom I have offended with my tweets way back then. It was my careless self talking and I didn’t mean to offend anyone. I am sincerely sorry,” she wrote.

Mendoza, who ranks among the top Filipino celebrities on social media, has also since deleted the tweets in question.

“Through the years, I have learned to be more careful with my thoughts and words – and how it would affect the people around me. Hope you hear me out this time. Praying for everyone’s safety and sanity in these trying times,” she said.

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