Mocha Uson, the assistant secretary of the Presidential Communications Operations Office, has clapped back at critics of the now-viral Pepedederalismo cheer.
In a Facebook post written in Filipino that appeared yesterday, she wrote that the cheer is not part of the government’s information drive of which she was assigned to spearhead. She also said that the show where it was performed was done all in good fun.
The cheer appeared on Good News Game Show on Thursday and was performed by her co-host, Drew Olivar. In the cheer, Olivar chanted “I-pepe” while touching his crotch, to refer to the vagina; and “I-dede” while touching his chest, referring to a woman’s breast. The show appeared on Uson’s Facebook page.
Pepe is a colloquial word for “vagina” while dede means breast.
Olivar’s dance moves became viral after it was posted by parody Facebook account Malacañang Events and Catering Services yesterday, where it was slammed by a majority of the commenters. As of writing, the video has been shared more than 20,000 times.
Uson defended the video and wrote on her Facebook account:”The editing of our video to remove the context is part of a campaign to divert people’s attention from important issues.”
She added: “Like what we said on Thursday, our game show about Federalism has nothing to do with the draft of the ConCom [Constitution Commission]…..Our game show, which was in the spirit of good fun, has no intention of making light of [the campaign for] federalism. Our goal is to encourage our followers to discuss federalism because this was one of the things promised by our president [Rodrigo Duterte].”
Uson’s non-apology was met with criticism.
Wrote Jonard Ricaña: “[W]hat a nice campaign…it [is] so you Asec. Mocha…cheap! You have a huge budget, hope you can come up with a better one.”
Boj Gillera pointed out that the context in which the video was shot was pretty much understood by netizens.
He wrote: “You cannot distance your personal self (sic) from being a government official, do you? And apart from Sen. Nancy Binay, I don’t think anyone has reminded you that you are a public servant now and paid by the taxes of the (sic) Filipinos. Respect the administration you claim to protect. Filipinos are paying for your taxes. Give yourself some respect. Give us the respect we deserve.”
Thammy Series reminded Uson that not all of her followers are adults.
“You should be at least decent when you disseminate information because it might be used as a reference in school if ever your Pepe, Dederalism gets passed.”
Lally Tutz wrote: “You know that everyone is watching your every move. So you should make sure that you act properly. Not for detractors but for your job!”
Over at Malacañang Events and Catering Services account, critics expressed a combination of shock, disappointment, and anger over the controversial clip.
Lawrence Biñas raised the possibility of the cheer being taught in schools all over the country.
“This is the chant that children will remember. Imagine,” he wrote.
Wrote Henry Lloren: “Im (sic) confident im (sic) far more intelligent than Mocha and Im (sic) not even earning 6 figures. Where’s the love?”
Jason Moss wanted to do something violent to Uson and Olivar. He wrote: “If I ever run into these people in public I am punching them in the face or throw shit at them.”
Meanwhile, one of the advocates of the campaign for federalism, Senator Aquilino Pimentel III, has asked Uson to go on leave in light of the controversy.
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