Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) spokesperson Celine Pialago announced Friday she tested negative for the pandemic coronavirus disease.
“I started to have colds, dry cough, and other flu-like symptoms during the first three days of my quarantine,” Pialago said in a Facebook post.
“Since COVID symptoms are flu-like, I requested for a COVID test, and the result thankfully was negative,” she added.
She said had to undergo a test as she has interacted with so many people during the early days of the crisis.
“It is my responsibility to inform them that I tested negative for Covid-19. I have to assure these people that they are not going to get the virus from me,” Pialago said.
She also shared that her staff members are being discriminated against and guarded in “their own communities because of unverified fear that they are carriers of the virus.”
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MMDA spokesperson Celine Pialago tests negative for COVID-19
“Neighbors of my personal assistant asked their barangay office to take her out of my place and detain her. My staff are undergoing difficulties because of me but I cant do anything because these are protocols to ensure the safety of other people in their community,” she shared.
She encouraged the public to be honest with their medical condition, which she considered to be one of the best contributions in fighting the virus.
“This is not only for my own peace of mind, but also for the peace of mind of others as well. Rest assured that even if I am negative for Covid, my staff and I will continue to self-quarantine. Please stay at home and continue to watch your health,” Pialago said.
Celine Pialago was appointed as MMDA spokesperson in 2018. The 28-year-old is a former journalist in PTV 4. She also joined pageants and beauty contests like Miss Philippines Earth and Pinay Beauty Queen Academy under the name Pircelyn Pialago.
Pialago was known to speaking her mind and often got into arguments, especially with MMDA’s bashers. She experienced cyberbullying in 2014 after she accidentally said “passed away” instead of “passed out” while referring to a fellow contestant in an interview during the Miss Earth pageant in 2014.