Senator Nancy Binay and Communications Assistant Secretary Mocha. PHOTO FROM THE OFFICE OF SENATOR NANCY BINAY and INQUIRER FILE
Maybe it is “high time” for Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Assistant Secretary Mocha Uson to decide whether she wants to stay in government or continue as a blogger, Senator Nancy Binay said on Wednesday.
Uson’s position as an Assistant Secretary and a blogger became the subject of discussion when she repeatedly said during the hearing of the Senate committee on public information and mass media that she is a blogger, and not a journalist.
“Blogger po ako (I am a blogger). Hindi po ako journalist (I am not a journalist),” Uson said when Senator Bam Aquino pressed her to answer whether or not she tried to get the sides of opposition members, who were the subject of his posts on her personal Facebook account.
“Unang-una po, karapatan po ng blogger yun sa kanyang opinion, madam chair kung, gusto po n’yang hingin ang side ng isang tao. Opinion po ang blogging unlike po sa mainstream media, meron po silang obligasyon po bago po nila i-report ang fake news na ginawa nila,” Uson added.
Senator Grace Poe, chair of the Senate committee on public information and mass media, then asked Undersecretary Joel Egco if Uson was employed as a blogger of PCOO.
Egco explained that Uson was Assistant Secretary for social media and asked if they have already lost their right to speak and right to express their opinions being in government.
“Yes you have. If you speak officially on a government side, you have unless you clarify that it’s your personal opinion but you should not use the government portal,” Poe said.
Binay shared Poe’s opinion, saying Uson cannot be an Assistant Secretary and a blogger at the same time.
“Clarification na lang since we’re all government officials, we are bound by Republic Act 6713 under Section 4. Nakasulat dun, we can’t use the excuse of doing things in your capacity as a private individual o parang malinaw na malinaw na at this point in time hindi mo na pwedeng ihiwalay yung pagiging blogger mo sa pagiging Asec. mo,” she said.
“Di ba parang malinaw na talaga baka it’s high time for you to decide kung gusto mong maging blogger o maging Asec.,” Binay added. /kga