After a failed bid to win a seat in the House of Representatives in the 2022 elections, former Metropolitan Manila Development Authority spokesperson Celine Pialago is back in another government post.
The former reporter-turned-government official surprised some Filipinos when she appeared as the spokesperson of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) on Wednesday, November 15 in a press conference.
At that time, Pialago was addressing the anticipated three-day transport strike of PISTON as the agency’s representative.
PISTON previously announced it would hold a nationwide strike starting November 20 to protest the deadline for the consolidation of traditional public utility jeepneys on December 31.
Pialago said that it is LTFRB’s priority for commuters to have enough public transport during the strikes.
She added that reinstated LTFRB Chairman Teofilo Guadiz III will also have a dialogue with them.
A clip of her in the press conference was posted by ABS-CBN senior multiplatform journalist Jacque Manabat on the X (formerly Twitter) platform, where it gained several reactions from Filipinos.
Celine Pialago is LTFRB’s new spokesperson.
She explains that the agency’s priority on Monday transport strike is to provide enough public transportation for the commuters. pic.twitter.com/NhaX0uA0gW
— Jacque Manabat (@jacquemanabat) November 15, 2023
“Naol [sana all] may job security na sa gobyerno,” a Pinoy commented.
“Grabe job security nitong mad*mb na ‘to ah,” another Filipino wrote.
“She rose from passing away,” a different user commented, referencing Pialago’s mistake when she was a Miss Earth Philippines 2014 contestant.
In an interview, she answered why a fellow candidate suddenly collapsed in the swimwear competition.
Pialago said that the fellow candidate “passed away” because the latter was “really hungry,” adding that some candidates were on “weight watch” for “big tummies and such.”
“Passed away” is another term for someone who died.
Meanwhile, another Pinoy wondered about Pialago’s credentials following her reappointment in the government as LTFRB’s spokesperson.
“Galing [naman] ni miss pass away, crossover from one admin [administration] to another… [ano kaya] credentials ni madam,” an X user wrote.
Reports said it was Pialago’s first day as an LTFRB spokesperson on Wednesday, the same day she appeared at the press conference.
She last made headlines when she attempted to run in the 2022 elections as a representative of the Malasakit Movement party-list, a newly-formed party-list that she said represented barangay workers.
The Commission on Elections, however, excluded it from the final list of the official ballot.
RELATED: Pialago says Malasakit party-list to represent barangay workers. Here’s what the law says. | Netizens question Comelec on Celine Pialago’s House bid under new party
Before her attempt at Congress, Pialago was most known as MMDA’s spokesperson under the Duterte administration.
She also became the controversial spokesperson for the NTF-ELCAC Youth Affairs, or the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict Youth Affairs, where she drew flak for her comments against activist Reina Mae Nasino.
READ: She has 70 socmed admins? Post of MMDA’s Celine Pialago about bereaved mother-inmate catches attention | Responding to Pialago’s claims on rally as a requirement, Miriam College circles back to its motto ‘veritas’ | Rallies required by schools? Graduates counter Pialago’s claims of getting grades for attending protests
Other instances that landed Pialago in headlines include her perceived “racist” comment about a Miss Universe 2020 bet and lashing out against critics of Dolomite Beach amid a typhoon.
Apart from her MMDA stint, she also worked as a chief media officer at the Department of Interior and Local Government, a media consultant at the House of Representatives, as a TV anchor at People’s Television Network and as a researcher at ABS-CBN.
Pialago was also an event host and organizer, a model and a DJ.
She is a graduate of AB Mass Communications, major in broadcasting, from Miriam College.
