Mocha gets Leila’s support

MANILA, Philippines - Controversial presidential appointee Mocha Uson found an unlikely ally in Sen. Leila de Lima, who urged critics to judge Uson not for her past work but on how she performs in her current job as assistant secretary of the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO).

Uson’s appointment to the PCOO, just like her earlier appointment to the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board, generated widespread criticism, primarily because of her previous stint as a sexy performer and blogger.

Upon learning about the attacks against Uson, which she said was in effect slut-shaming, De Lima sympathized with her plight and decided to say her piece now.

Instead of focusing on her past, De Lima said the public should watch how she would work in her new position, “funded by our tax money.” 

“For one, I hope that she will be a purveyor of truth, rather than propaganda; of responsibly gathered and vetted facts and news, rather than so-called alternative facts and fake news. She is no longer just a private blogger or social media personality; she is now a civil servant,” De Lima said.

De Lima’s comments were clearly drawn from her own experience as a victim of slut-shaming at the height of the hearings conducted by the House of Representatives on the proliferation of illegal drugs in the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa.