Filipina tourist says sorry after criticising Thai language barriers

A Filipina tourist who sparked online backlash after criticizing language barriers during her trip to Thailand has issued a public apology, saying her wording may have come across as offensive.

The tourist, identified as Ann Berdin, said the remarks she made in a video clip that went viral among netizens were not intended to be hateful toward Thailand, according to Manila-based PageOne Online.

The apology followed days of intense debate across Southeast Asian social media over cultural respect and language expectations in tourism.

In the now-deleted video, Berdin was heard saying, “I’m Filipina. Of course my English is good, but when I arrive in Thailand, it’s f-ing useless.” She went on to say that locals and Grab drivers “need a translator.”

The remarks quickly drew criticism, particularly from Thai netizens, who emphasized that Thai is the country’s official language and that English proficiency should not be expected of local residents or service workers.

What began as a single travel complaint soon expanded into a broader regional discussion about tourist entitlement, language privilege, and respectful behavior when visiting non-English-speaking countries.

In response to the backlash, Berdin uploaded an apology video addressing the controversy and explaining the intent behind her original post, which carried the caption “Filipina in Thailand.”

“I just want to make things clear about the video I made,” she said. “While I was doing that video, I didn’t mean anything hateful about Thailand.”

Berdin said she was sharing her personal travel experience and defended her mention of translation tools, noting that she also relies on translators herself. She also acknowledged her own limitations with English.

“To me, I admit I don’t have enough good English, but at least I can speak a little bit and I can understand,” she said.

However, she conceded that the way she expressed herself may have sounded offensive.

“I think it sounds a little bit wrong,” she said, adding that she “said it in the wrong words.”

Throughout the apology, Berdin emphasized that she did not intend to insult Thai people or criticize their English ability, but acknowledged that viewers may have interpreted her comments differently.

“So if you see it and you find it not good, I’m gonna say I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean anything bad.”

She concluded with a final apology, saying, “Once again, I’m sorry if you find it wrong.”

As of publication, the apology video has garnered more than 158,000 views on Facebook, generating thousands of reactions and comments.