The Colombian man who was shown burning an effigy of Miss Universe Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach has taken down the video of the incident after fierce reaction from netizens.

The man who uses the name Noider Almanza Barraza apologized for offending the people of the Philippines and blamed a tradition in his country for the incident.

A translation of his post on Facebook said Colombia had a tradition of burning dolls of “characters or things that causes controversy” in the previous year to “begin a new year.”

“At no time (was my intention) to hurt or offend (the people of the Philippines. I am very sad … I apologize,” he wrote.

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