(Eagle News) — Senator Risa Hontiveros on Wednesday, Oct. 3, said Communications Assistant Secretary Mocha Uson’s resignation was “too little, too late,” noting that the Presidential Communications Operations Office already had “a badly tarnished reputation.”
“It is an extremely belated gesture rendered insignificant in the face of gross incompetence, state-sponsored vulgarity and the proliferation of fake news. 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?” Hontiveros said.
According to the Senator, Uson 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.”
“It will take more than a forced tokenistic resignation to rebuild the ruin,” Hontiveros said, noting that the “damage done by Uson and her ilk to our institution tasked to inform and educate the people and enrich the quality of public discourse runs deep.”
Hontiveros called on Communications Secretary Martin Andanar to “restore some sense of order to his office and end the incompetence and state-sponsored promotion of fake news.”
She added, however, that 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,” Hontiveros said.
Uson announced her resignation on Wednesday, Oct. 3.
President Rodrigo Duterte has learnt of Uson’s resignation but has yet to formally accept it, Special Assistant to the President Bong Go said.
