QUEZON CITY, Philippines (Eagle News) –Mocha Uson has found an ally in detained Senator Leila De Lima.
In a press release on Tuesday, De Lima asked the public to stop judging Uson’s capabilities based on her previous work.
Uson, who danced for a living in the past, was recently appointed assistant secretary of the Presidential Communications Operations Office.
“I would ask people not…to use her past career, relationships or sexual history to malign her, to subject her to misogynistic attacks, or any other form of ad hominem attacks, for that matter,” De Lima said.
Addressing herself to Uson, the senator said she hoped she would 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.”
“(Uson) is no longer just a private blogger or social media personality; she is now a civil servant,” the senator said.
De Lima also told her to be “more circumspect about her choice of words and way of saying them.”
“I do not mean that she ought to use sophisticated words. In fact, I do encourage her to speak plainly. Plain but cleanly. Be aware that our children are listening to us. Our future generations are taking their cue from us on how to express and carry themselves,” De Lima said.
“I hope that Ms. Uson will prove herself a model of dignity – the dignity of a woman, a public servant – for our people, especially the youth of today,” the senator added.
“Servant of the people”
But while she expressed support for her, De Lima also took the time to criticize Uson’s views.
She told the staunch supporter of President Rodrigo Duterte to “resist the temptation of blindly following your President.”
She said President Duterte “may ask you (Uson) to apply your talent and gift to sow discord or to persecute those who displease him.”
“In other words, I ask you to be a servant of the people because the product of your instrument – the information you disseminate, the thoughts you convey through your mouth, pen, or your keyboard – will have an impact on the lives of millions of Filipinos. It may spell the difference between nation-building and nation-destruction,” the senator said.
De Lima has been detained at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center since her arrest in February.
The arrest stems from a case filed against her at the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court in connection with her alleged involvement in the illegal drug trading at the New Bilibid Prison when she was justice secretary.
Jodi Bustos, Eagle News Service
