KC Concepcion has issued an apology after photos of a gathering in Baguio City went viral.
On January 17, a number of celebs, including KC, attended the birthday party of TV personality and events producer Tim Yap.
The celebration was criticized by netizens as photos and videos from the event showed the attendees reportedly not following minimum health protocols amid the pandemic.
They have since paid fines as a penalty for violating a local ordinance that requires the wearing of masks in public places, and for not practicing social distancing while the public health crisis has not yet been lifted.
KC on Friday posted a lengthy statement on Instagram to share her sentiments and to ask for the public's forgiveness and understanding.
"I do agree that keeping a mask on and not letting our guards down is the least we citizens could do," KC said in her IG post. "I personally apologize for not having kept my mask on 100 percent of the time during a gathering. It has been two 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 in a similar way."
KC thanked frontliners for their hard work and shared her personal struggles such as quarantining alone for three months, also noting the toll of the lockdown on people's mental health.
"As I’ve learned, we can connect with each other and love each other, while still being extra careful for ourselves and one another," she added. "I let my guard down for five minutes—while I was vigilant 99 percent of the time, 99 percent is not enough. Moving forward, take care out there, everyone. We have a long way to go. Tomorrow is a new day."