‘Damage is done’: Hontiveros says Mocha’s resignation came too late

Opposition Senator Risa Hontiveros said on Wednesday that the resignation of Assistant Secretary Mocha Uson came too late as the public has already been confused and poisoned by the fake news that Uson had proliferated.

Hontiveros said in a statement that Uson left the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) with a bad reputation rife with incompetence and fake news.

“The damage has already been done. She has not only successfully planted the seeds of untruth inside the government, she has made sure it bore fruit to sow confusion and poison the public’s mind,” Hontiveros said.

“It has come very late in response to the public’s demand for accountability. Aanhin pa ang resignasyon kung nalulunod na ang bansa sa baha ng fake news ni Ms. Uson?” she added.

(What will we do with her resignation if the nation already sinking in the flood of Ms. Uson’s fake news?)

Hontiveros urged  Secretary Martin Andanar to restore a sense of order to his office and end incompetence as well as the state-sponsored promotion of fake news.

“This may be an extremely challenging task for Secretary Andanar as he himself is accused of gross mismanagement and issuing misleading statements. But if Secretary Andanar really wants to salvage the PCOO’s image, he has this one chance to do it. If not, he is no better than Uson,” she added.

Uson announced her resignation on Wednesday morning during the hearing of the Senate committee on finance on the proposed budget of PCOO for 2019. /je

READ: Mocha resigns