MANILA — DJ Loonyo, the viral TikTok choreographer who has amassed a huge following on social media, apologized on Wednesday over his statements against coronavirus mass testing, saying it was a case of mixing up terms.

The topic of mass testing came up in a Tuesday live stream hosted by hiphop artist Kenjhons Serrano on Facebook. DJ Loonyo was one of the geusts.

"Oh my God," DJ Loonyo said, shaking his head, when asked for his thoughts on mass testing. "I just don't know. It's like, gagana ba itong bagay na ito sa ganitong ano? 'Di ba? I don't know ano gagamitin nila sa mass testing, but kung ano ipapainom nila, kung ano ipapagawa nila."

"It's a trial and error, kaya it's mass testing... Kaya kawawa 'yung mag-i-intake at 'yung mag-a-undergo niyan, because it's not 100% proven," he said.

Can someone educate DJ Loonyo what mass testing is? He’s spreading misinformation about it and instilling fears among his followers.

Bago ka magsayaw, mag research ka muna, libre google. 🤦🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️ #MassTestingNowPH pic.twitter.com/JBrbmOWVNZ

— Coach Clarke, CPT (@CoachClarkiee) June 2, 2020

DJ Loonyo, a Filipino who is based in China, disagreed that mass testing should be implemented.

"It shouldn't be mandatory. It should be encouraged," he asserted. "Depende na sa 'yo kung gusto mo i-test 'yung sarili mo o gusto mo ipaniwala 'yung ano nila. 'Di ba, for me, why would you test me? I'm a human being. I will react to ano ipapainom mo sa akin. Paano kung mag-rereact ng malala 'yung katawan ko? So I'm dead."

"'Di ako naniniwala sa mass testing."

Testing for COVID-19 — to determine whether a patient is infected with the disease — does not require ingesting anything. Medical professionals conduct swab tests for collection of specimen, which will help determine whether the patient is positive or negative for the respiratory disease.

In his apology on Wednesday, DJ Loonyo admitted "the wrong use of terminology in that particular instance."

☝️☝️☝️ pic.twitter.com/kYPS6GFwnq

— DJ LOONYO (REAL) (@DJLOONYO2) June 3, 2020

"My point is not particularly about the 'Covid Mass Testing'; I was actually referring to 'CLINICAL TRIALS'. I understand that the use of terminology is critical, so I apologize for any confusion caused," he wrote.

Amid his viral remarks, DJ Loonyo has been criticized for spreading misinformation, and for allegedly being irresponsible given his reach on social media.

Addressing the criticisms, DJ Loonyo wrote, unedited: "I know that I have been blessed with a platform kung saan may kaunting level din of influence. We do not mean to spread misinformation, but rather encourage you to form an open-mindedness para hindi po kayo mag-panic, para alam niyo bakit kayo dapat mag-mask, bakit dapat stay at home, at hindi para sumunod lang nang di naiintindihan ang reasons why or why not."

"Maraming salamat po sa inyong pagpuna," he added. "Sana po ay mabuksan lang din ang inyong isipan. Maaaring we will remain in disagreement on certain points, but that doesn't mean we cannot have a decent conversation."

Naguguluhan ka ba sa ibig sabihin ng mass testing na ipinapanawagan ng marami sa atin ngayong may #COVID19 pandemic?

Bago maniwala sa sabi-sabi, panoorin ito. pic.twitter.com/PeRH5aiDGB

— ABS-CBN News (@ABSCBNNews) June 3, 2020