Bea Borres goes on a food trip at Fusion Alley. Borres/YouTube
"At the end of the day, this is what I do."
Actress Bea Borres made this statement after receiving backlash for her recent vlog, where she gave her honest review of food stalls at Fusion Alley in Sampaloc, Manila.
Her candid remarks, particularly in the first part of her vlog where she said "I don't like it" in front of a food vendor, got the ire of some netizens.
Addressing the issue in a Facebook post during the Holy Week break, Borres reiterated that she has always shared her real experiences, whether positive or negative, in her videos.
"Now I'm getting bashed because people are saying I called the food 'not masarap' in front of the vendor. From the start of the video, I already said I'd give my honest rating, whether it's masarap or not. And honestly, I just didn't like it," she said.
"I get where some of you are coming from, and maybe I could have delivered it more gently," she continued. "But at the end of the day, this is what I do, I share my real experience. Not everything will always be positive."
"I think that's also the reason why I got known, because I share not just the good but also the bad," said the actress, who boasts of 1 million YouTube subscribers and 3.1 million Facebook followers.
Borres also reacted to the statement released by Fusion Alley, which pointed out that she "did not acknowledge or coordinate with the management before taking videos in the area."
"We believe it is important to extend basic courtesy, especially since many small businesses and vendors work very hard behind the scenes," it said in a Facebook post, which has since been taken down.
In response, Borres said: "It's a public space, I didn't know there's an admin office there. And your point is what?"
She added that she will not go back there anymore as she called out the food park for "riding on the hate."
In another Facebook post, Borres reminded the public that her vlog about Fusion Alley is not all negative as she gave her thumbs up to several food stalls.
"Ito masarap talaga," she said, sharing a video of a vendor that thanked her for trying their sisig.
The content creator also directed the public to one of her older vlogs, a food tour in Quiapo, as she shut down criticisms that she is a "rich kid" who is not used to street eats.
"As a kid, I grew up eating street food, so don't tell me not to expect too much just because you think I'm not used to 'mumurahing' food," she said.