Manny Pacquiao and his family are in quarantine after the world champion boxer and senator came into contact with a fellow politician who tested positive for the coronavirus.
Pacquiao was recently seen in a photograph alongside senate president Aquilino Pimental, who tested positive for the coronavirus on Wednesday, the Filipino news site ABS-CBN.com reported.
By Friday, health authorities recommended the Pacquiao family stay in quarantine, to which a statement from the boxer and senator's team said he "will always follow the law" and had been self-isolating anyway.
Pacquiao said he received a rapid testing kit from South Korea, which hasn't been approved by the Food and Drug Administration, and tested negative, according to a separate ABS-CBN report.
He said he would take a swab if he started experiencing symptoms in line with the coronavirus.
"It's an entirely different conversation when I'm feeling something strange in my body. I am willing to undergo swab testing for the sake of my family and my country, but I will go through the regular procedure.
"I believe that there are many more persons under investigation or PUI that should be prioritized in testing."
News of Pacquiao's quarantine comes days after the 41-year-old said he was "not afraid to die" helping the Philippines fight the coronavirus.
Pacquiao reportedly donated 600,000 face masks to frontline workers and teamed up with Alibaba CEO Jack Ma to supply 50,000 COVID-19 testing kits.
As of Saturday, there were 1,075 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Philippines, which had caused 68 deaths.
Worldwide, there are 652,079 cases and 30,313 deaths.
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Manny Pacquiao said he's 'not afraid to die' to help the Philippines battle the coronavirus pandemic
