Roque: Mocha had ‘best intentions’ on ‘Pepedederalismo’ video but…

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/JOAN BONDOC

Presidential Communications Assistant Secretary Mocha Uson had the best intentions when she posted on social media a blog entry featuring a controversial jingle that promoted federalism, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said on Monday.

Roque, however, said discussion of federalism should be more serious since it tackles the possible revision of the 1987 Constitution – the highest law of the land.

The Presidential spokesman’s defense of Uson came after the Presidential Communications official made a video blog entry featuring a lewd and vulgar jingle on federalism that went viral on social media.

The lyrics of the jingle included: “I-pepe, i-pepe, i-dede, i-dede, i-pepe-pepe-pepederalismo!”

“I think Mocha Uson had the best of intentions, kasi gusto niya talaga na mapag-usapan ang pederalismo ng mga tao sa pang araw-araw ng mga mamamayan natin,” Roque said in a press briefing in Davao Occidental.

While he acknowledged that the public should understand federalism in a language that they would understand, Roque said that it should be discussed in a serious way.

“Pero siguro pag usaping pederalismo, dapat siguro mas seryoso dahil ito po ay Saligang Batas, ang pinakamataas na batas sa ating bayan,” Roque said.

“Alam ko po kinakailangan maintindihan nila sa isang lenggwahe na maiintindihan, pero kanya-kanya po tayong estilo. Siguro po bagamat maging mas seryoso, eh gawin din natin ito sa pamamaraan na maiintindihan. Iyan po ang paghahamon,” he also explained.

Asked by reporters if President Rodrigo Duterte had a hand in Uson’s controversial video blog entry, Roque answered in the negative.

“Wala naman po. Hindi po ‘yan binabasbasan ni Presidente. Iyan po ay kusang ginawa ni Asec. Mocha Uson,” Roque said.

“Sabi ko nga, she may have had the best of intentions, pero sana po gawin nating mas malalim ang usapin ng pederalismo, commensurate with the importance of the Constitution,” he also said.

Uson not lead messenger in federalism drive

On the other hand, Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar stressed that Uson was not appointed by the federalism inter-agency council to lead the information drive.

Andanar said that Uson was only tapped by Ding Generoso, the spokesperson of President Rodrigo Duterte’s Consultative Committee, to promote federalism on her video blog.

“Asec. Mocha was not appointed by the Pederalismo inter-agency. It was Spokesperson Ding Generoso’s own volition. Again, there was no appointment from the inter-agency,” Andanar said in a statement on Monday. /kga

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