A post shared by Ciara Sotto (@pinaypole) on May 26, 2016 at 9:17pm PDT

MANILA -- Actress and television host Danica Sotto has pleaded to those criticizing her uncle, Senator Vicente "Tito" Sotto III, for a joke he made about single mothers to stop dragging the name of her cousin, Ciara Sotto, into the controversy.

On Wednesday, Sen. Sotto found himself in hot water after needling Social Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo for having kids out of wedlock. Many took offense when he described the cabinet appointee as "na-ano lang."

The senator's critics reminded him online that his daughter, Ciara, also recently became a solo parent after her split with businessman Jojo Oconer.

At the height of the mess, some flocked to Ciara's Instagram account and began flooding her account with comments about her father's "na-ano lang" quip.

This irked Danica, the daughter of Vic Sotto, who is the brother of Sen. Sotto. "Please wag kayo dito mag comment. Respect her account. May mga nasaktan man pero unfair na idamay niyo siya pati ang pamangkin ko," she wrote, unedited.

"Sorry if may mga na-hurt but please let her enjoy her vacation. Respect ang gusto niyo hindi ba po? Please also show her some respect. Walang sino man ang perfect sa atin. Please don't make this issue bigger by giving unnecessary comments," she added.

Ciara, the youngest daughter of Sen. Sotto, is currently in a vacation in Japan with her son, Crixus.

• Read: Lea Salonga, Pokwang hit those who insult single mothers