MANILA -- Bohol's representative in Miss Universe Philippines 2020 felt the need to make a statement after the host of the pageant, KC Montero, received backlash on social media for his conversation on stage with her.

Pauline Amelinckx, who finished third runner-up, took to Instagram Stories to make it clear that Montero was not rude to her, as some netizens think.

She described him as "a great and engaging host," saying he helped her "take a breath and calm my nerves before answering the question."

"That part was indeed cut short for airtime," she explained.

During the pageant, Montero asked Amelinckx how she was doing, and the beauty queen returned the question to him.

"Oh, no one ever asks me questions," the host said.

To which Amelinckx replied: "Oh sorry, should I not have done that?"

Montero then said: "It's okay, I'll go ahead and read what you're supposed to comment on."

@KCMontero please explain🙂 pic.twitter.com/wTuMlczCv8

— jhaypopp (@you_jhayyyy) October 25, 2020

Reacting to the issue, Amelinckx reiterated that what Montero told her on stage was "just humor to me," saying that "no harm was done in my eyes."

"This has gone out of hand and I just want to remember the entire experience in the most positive way possible, because it was a positive experience to begin with," she said.

Montero has explained his side of the story through his Twitter account, pointing out that the dialogue between him and Amelinckx was "edited down for time."

"We were actually laughing together," he said.

FYI the dialogue between me and Bohol was edited down for time. We were actually laughing together.

— KC Montero (@KCMontero) October 25, 2020

In another post, the host said he has asked for the unedited version of the video "since none of you seem to understand what I've been trying to explain to you."

I’ve asked for the unedited version of the video since none of you seem to understand what I’ve been trying to explain to you.

— KC Montero (@KCMontero) October 25, 2020

He later on re-posted a screenshot of Amelinckx's statement on the matter.