Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 30) — Celebrity and entrepreneur KC Concepcion apologized for not keeping her mask on during the controversial birthday celebration of entertainment personality Tim Yap over a week ago, adding she has learned her lesson.
“I do agree that keeping a mask on and not letting our guards down is the least we citizens could do. I personally apologize for not having kept my mask on 100% of the time during a gathering. It has been 2 weeks since then and I hope we can move forward with lessons learned about safety protocols indoors or outdoors when in a crowd. I understand the panic. And I would react the same way,” Concepcion wrote on Instagram.
“Nobody is perfect, revenge travel is truly a thing, and inasmuch as we would like to break free from chains and restrictions to try and keep sane, no. We need to travel more responsibly. We need to gather more responsibly,” she said.
Yap’s party incurred the ire of netizens after photos and videos of him and his guests were seen neither wearing face masks nor observing physical distancing.
All 33 participants of the event, including the celebrant, Concepcion, and Arlene Magalong, the wife of Baguio Mayor Benjamin Magalong, each paid ₱1,000 for not wearing face masks and ₱500 for not practicing physical distancing as required by local ordinances. The hotel where the party was held paid the local government ₱9,000.
Mayor Magalong has since tendered his irrevocable resignation as contact tracing czar, citing his failure to do something about the breach in safety protocols he admitted he saw during the party, which he attended with his wife.
