smoke & mirrors
Manila, 3 October—My favorite Journalism professor, Luis Teodoro, has this to say to media covering the aftermath of Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Assistant Secretary Mocha Uson’s resignation: Stop talking about her.
That’s it. That’s the tip.
I agree, but I can’t not talk about Mocha, who probably received over P2 million (@P120,000/month) in salaries since her appointment in May last year to the government’s communication department, despite several instances where she was caught spreading inaccurate or outright false information on Facebook. If anything, she is among the administration’s biggest chief disinformation officers on social media, and a year and a half or so later, she has failed to give her government position the respect it deserves.
But enough about this rhetoric, because this is exactly what will lead her into the Senate come 2019.
Mocha’s resignation should be seen as it truly is—not so much a sacrifice, but as part of a grand communications plan. As former Comelec commissioner Goyo Larrazabal put it—this is usually the period for resignations of appointive officials prior to the filing of Certificates of Candidacies next week.
Which is why we should be careful about celebrating Mocha losing her government post, or even casting this resignation as a ‘win’—it’s not. This kind of shortsighted divisiveness has brought us so much grief. I’m glad this news has been put in the context of the COC filing season almost immediately, and that context regarding Mocha’s inexcusable gaffes, such as the offensive video against deaf persons, and the utterly unhelpful Federalism video, have been prioritized as background material, too.
Anyway. As with all grand comm plans, Mocha is perfect for the opening salvo—she was expected to make a loud splash, and splash she did. I expect more resignations in the days to come—I heard there’s going to be lots of them, and I look forward to not having Harry Roque as presidential spokesman, if ever.
By the way—all of this is happening while inflation, food and oil prices are spiking, and the President’s flagging health has people wondering where he is. Suspicious timing is suspicious.