MANILA—Celine Pialago has announced she will be leaving her position as Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) spokesperson to focus on her congressional candidacy in the 2022 elections.

In a statement, Pialago said she was stepping down effective Friday, October 1.

She said she will be running for representative of Malasakit Movement Party-list, which represents barangay representatives, kagawad, tanod, and health workers.

Asec. Celine Pialago, MMDA spokesperson since 2016, leaves agency effective Oct. 1 to run for sectoral rep in #Halalan2022 under the Malasakit Movement Partylist.

She said her platform would focus on gaining better benefits for barangay & health workers.

📸:C.Pialago FB pic.twitter.com/9IzryDAuuk

— Anjo Bagaoisan (@anjo_bagaoisan) September 30, 2021

Aside from barangay workers, Pialago said she will also work for better benefits for medical workers.

Before she was appointed MMDA spokesperson, Pialago served as the media relations officer of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) under Secretary Mike Sueno.

Last year, Pialago received flak after she decried local media and netizens’ show of sympathy towards activist Reina Mae Nasino, who had lost her 3-month-old daughter baby River to pneumonia, likening it to an afternoon drama series.

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She has since then apologized for her tweet.

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