By Hanah Tabios  Despite stricter social distancing measures, the provincial government of Las Piñas is being criticized for its mode of distributing relief packs to its residents after a viral video circulated on social media Wednesday night showing how people squeezed in lines in hopes to receive their rations. Several social media users personally forwarded videos to the Manila Bulletin; however, upon checking, almost all were taken down after a few hours. Las Piñas City Mayor Imelda Aguilar (City of Las Piñas Official Facebook Page / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN) Social distancing measures, such as staying at least one meter away from each other, were mandatorily imposed by the national government to contain the spread of the coronavirus The spread of the virus is still proven to be through respiratory droplet transmission, said the health department. It also reported that the Philippines has now a total of 217 positive COVID-19 cases and has claimed 17 lives as of Thursday afternoon. In an official statement released Thursday, Las Piñas Mayor Imelda Aguilar said she regretted the incident on Wednesday. She also clarified that several residents trooped to the city hall to personally receive their relief assistance without an official announcement having been made. “Sa ngalan ng Pamahalaang Lungsod ng Las Piñas, ang lahat ng relief goods at supplies ay ipamamahagi namin sa inyong mga tahanan para sa kaligtasan ng lahat. Ikinalulungkot namin ang nangyari kahapon kung saan ang ilang residente ng Las Piñas ay nagpunta sa city hall,” she said. (On behalf of the provincial government of Las Piñas, all relief goods and supplies will be delivered to your homes for your safety. We regret what happened yesterday when some residents went to the city hall.) Aguilar also pleaded to her constituents to stay at home and wait for the rations to be distributed to them.