Mocha: The more you hate, the more you love
Entertainer-turned-blogger Mocha Uson isn’t all praise for the Duterte administration—or so she says.
In an interview with Inquirer.net on Wednesday, Uson, who is a staunch supporter of President Rodrigo Duterte, took notice of the gaffes made by the communications team of the President and how his statements were being interpreted, when asked what she thought were the weaknesses of the current administration.
“It’s our first time to have a President who speaks in a radical voice,” Uson said in Filipino, and in the same breath defended the communications team of Mr. Duterte, which she said was still “in a period of adjustment.”
She said the problem could be resolved in time, especially since the new administration is only a little over 100 days old.
In his public speeches, the President has complained that his statements have been misunderstood by the media and his critics.
His communications team has received flak for their blunders and conflicting statements in clarifying his pronouncements and speeches.
To address this concern, Malacañang has issued a memorandum saying that the President has only one official spokesperson and Cabinet members should not be too quick to speak on his behalf.
The memorandum said “official statements of the President on significant national and international issues” should only be issued by presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella.
In his absence, all statements on behalf of the President will be delivered only by Communications Secretary Martin Andanar.
Except for the communication blunders, Uson was all support for Mr. Duterte, who she said has a “proven track record” in serving as a local executive in Davao City for more than two decades.
She said she has been to Davao several times and has been witness to the way the city was being run.
“The Davaoaeños follow the law—no jaywalking, no smoking—and I talked to the residents of Davao, they love their mayor so much,” she said.
Uson said she vowed her full support for President Duterte the day he declared his candidacy because she wanted the whole country to be progressive like Davao City.
Despite being vocal on political issues, Uson said she has no plans of entering politics.
“It’s a very big responsibility… It’s a full-time job that requires 100 percent of your time,” she said.
“For me, I can serve through volunteerism,” she said, noting this is actually her advocacy.
She said one need not have a government position to help the country.
“I encourage everyone to volunteer, help the government. You don’t need a government position to help your country,” she said.
Asked how she deals with her critics, she said has learned to love them.
“As they say, the more you hate the more you love. So I just love them,” she said. “And it’s their freedom to hate me and it’s also my freedom to keep doing what I do.”
Uson had earlier tagged some media outfits as “presstitutes”—a derogatory term—particularly those she perceived as engaged in biased reporting. But she said she also has friends from the media industry.
“Marami akong kaibigan na journalist. Ang mga nasasaktan lang naman diyan e yung mga natatamaan. Kung hindi naman totoo na presstitute ka, bakit ka mag ngangangawa-ngawa (I have many journalist friends. Those who are hurt are those who are alluded to. If you are not a presstitute, why would you keep yakking)?” she said.
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