Mocha to get gentle reminder to be mindful of gender issues

MANILA, Philippines — Presidential Communications Assistant Secretary Mocha Uson, whose controversial video on federalism sparked official and online outrage, will get a written reminder to be mindful of gender issues in the future.

Presidential Communications Operations Office Undersecretary Lorraine Badoy said this in an interview on One News' “The Chiefs” Wednesday night.

While Badoy acknowledged that Uson violated the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees, she said that only President Rodrigo Duterte can fire the influential assistant secretary.

“The official stand of the PCOO is to just remind Mocha. I think the secretary [Martin Andanar] just spoke to her and that’s about it. She’s a presidential appointee and we cannot really fire her. This is a presidential prerogative,” Badoy said.

She added: “Uson has to align with the laws regarding gender and development, all the laws and the rules.”

The PCOO undersecretary also admitted that some of them were “really shocked” by Uson’s video, which showed her blogger co-host Drew Olivar singing “i-pepe” and “i-dede” while gesturing to his chest and crotch.

“We wish she would be more circumspect but as the president says, she does have the right to free expression,” Badoy said.

Duterte was “very cool” about the video, which earned the ire of social media users, lawmakers and federalism advocate, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said.

“I find her really interesting because she does trigger a lot of people. It’s very good for us as a country because I think Assistant Secretary Mocha reminds us of a lot of hypocrisy in our society and she makes us face them—the things inside ourselves because we’re such a hypocritical society,” Badoy also said.

A colleague of Uson at the PCOO asked her Tuesday to publicly apologize and take a leave amid the furor over her controversial video on federalism.

Philippine Information Agency director general Harold Clavite said the video of Uson and Olivar insulted the profession of communication and public information and degraded government workers, particularly women.

Uson, who remains unapologetic, said that experts on federalism should take advantage of the buzz that the video created to explain the proposed shift to a federal form of government.

READ: PIA head urges Mocha to say sorry, go on leave

— Gaea Katreena Cabico