Andanar: It's a 'no brainer' Mocha can win Senate polls

MANILA, Philippines — With her millions of followers on social media, it’s a “no brainer” that Presidential Communications Assistant Secretary Mocha Uson can easily win the senatorial elections, her boss, Martin Andanar, said Saturday.

House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez on Friday announced that Uson and presidential spokesperson Harry Roque are among those being eyed by the ruling PDP-Laban to be its senatorial candidates in the 2019 mid-term elections.

But both Uson and Roque later clarified they were not interested in securing a seat at the Senate, although Uson made it clear she would only run if President Rodrigo Duterte convinces her to seek a senatorial post.

READ: Mocha, Roque being eyed as PDP-Laban Senate bets | Mocha, Roque not interested in seeking Senate posts

In an interview over state-run DZRP radio, Andanar, who leads the Presidential Communications Operations Office, expressed confidence that Uson—who maintains a Facebook blog with more than five million followers—can win the senatorial race should she decide to run.

“Kung winability lang ang pag-usapan or ‘yung the possibility of winning ay talagang no brainer na si Mocha. She can really draw the crowd in a Senate campaign,” Andanar said.

(If we’re going to talk about the possibility of winning the senatorial elections, it’s a no brainer that Mocha will be a winner.)

“Alam mo, si Mocha is a very popular person, part of being an assistant secretary ay marami siyang followers,” he added.

(You know Mocha is a very popular person. As an assistant secretary, she has a lot of followers.)

Uson—a former starlet—got her mid-level position at the Palace after playing a pivotal role in helping President Rodrigo Duterte win last year’s presidential polls. She now handles Malacañang’s social media platforms.

A staunch supporter of the president, Uson had been using her blog to discredit media outlets that produced reports critical of the administration.

She had been accused of spreading false information online. Last August, the hashtag #FireMocha trended on Twitter after she committed back-to-back social media blunders.

But she maintained she had corrected posts containing questionable assertions. She had also claimed to be a victim of “fake news.”

Despite several gaffes committed by the Palace assistant secretary, Andanar, in an interview with CNN Philippines in August, said Uson continues to enjoy the confidence and trust of the president.

“Mocha is still in a campaign mode until now. She protects the president,” Andanar said.  

Last month, Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III floated a list of names supposedly being considered by the ruling party for a run in the Senate although he emphasized then that the line-up was still "developing and evolving."