Eight division world champion Manny Pacquiao has stated that he wants an investigation into a leaked private letter issued by Dasmarinas Village calling for his entire household to go into self-quarantine following his exposure to a colleague who tested positive for the coronavirus, senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III.
A copy of the letter was leaked to reporters and was being circulated on social media over the weekend.
“For your own family and household’s safety, please have yourself self-quarantined, STAY HOME. No one including any of your household can come out,” the letter from village chief Rossana Hwang read, saying the measure was recommended by the Makati Health Department and a doctor from the Makati Medical Center.
Hwang also wrote that they could purchase essential items for the Pacquiao household, and asked the boxer, who is also a senator in the Philippines, to “please be a model example” in light of the tightened village security to prevent the spread of the disease.
There was a video where Pacquiao hosted a dinner event for the political party PDP-Laban, which was attended by Pimentel and other guests on March 4. Hwang cited the video as evidence that Pacquiao could have been exposed to COVID-19.
Pacquiao fired back by calling out Hwang in another letter, saying the leaked document “has been [the] subject of several news reports and malicious social media posts,” The Philippine Daily Inquirer reports.
“In this regard, I wish to know how this private letter addressed to me went around social media with total disregard for my right to privacy. Meantime, I will refer this matter to the appropriate agency for proper investigation to avoid the same incident from happening,” Pacquiao wrote.
“Let me also emphasize that it was not ‘partying’ as stated in your letter. It was a political meeting. The word ‘partying’ casts me as someone insensitive to the current crisis of the nation,” Pacquiao added, referring to the dinner for PDP-Laban members, Rappler reports.
Pacquiao, who tested negative for the virus, also added that the March 4 dinner happened days before Pimentel admitted to showing symptoms.
Pacquiao, a father of five, stated that he and his family had been observing social distancing prior to the village officials’ directive and had “placed ourselves on quarantine since March 24, Tuesday.”
