Mocha Uson often calls local media “presstitutes” for allegedly siding with the opposition but in an upcoming movie, she’s going to play a character that’s part of the very industry she’s so critical of.
The assistant secretary of the Presidential Communications Operations Office on Friday announced that she will soon star in the movie Kaibigan alongside Hollywood actor Stephen Baldwin and will play a — wait for it — reporter.
The movie will be directed by Cesar Montano, another supporter of President Rodrigo Duterte who in May resigned from his post at the Tourism Promotions Board.
In an interview with CNN Philippines, Uson explained the plot in detail: “It’s about this child who lost his way because of his parents. His parents weren’t able to guide him so he got into drugs, alcohol, and the wrong set of friends.”
It’s unclear how Uson’s role as a reporter is related to the family drama.
Uson, one of President Rodrigo Duterte’s loyal supporters, told GMA News that contrary to her earlier pronouncements, she has a lot of respect for journalists, which is why she’s going to play one.
“I have a lot of respect for our journalist-reporters because when they cover the president, I see how hard they work, even their cameramen because they have to carry heavy equipment,” she said.
She also said that she will be working on the movie on a pro-bono basis. Her boss, Communications Secretary Martin Andanar, allowed her to work on the project.
Uson believes that the movie is aligned with the president’s campaign against illegal drugs. She told GMA News: “The movie supports the campaign of President Duterte to protect the youth from illegal drugs… The family plays a big role in the lives of our youths.”
Often accused of spreading fake news to her millions of social media followers, Uson has said that rules on fairness don’t apply to her because she is a blogger and “not a journalist.” So it looks like she’ll have to do a whole lot of research to play the part well, then.
Kaibigan will be in theaters in September.
