Mocha Uson – Katrina Stuart Santiago

When on April 25 the Kuwait News Agency broke the news that the Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry had announced that Philippine Ambassador Renato Villa was being declared persona-non-grata, and was being told to leave the country in a week, it was not clear to me what it was about. What was clear to me though was that there was reason for such a strong statement coming from the Kuwaiti government.

See, days before, I had combed through Presidential Communications’ Asec for Social Media Mocha Uson’s official Facebook page, after realizing that she was in fact in Kuwait covering the interwoven events happening there: the final batch of repatriated OFWs availing of the amnesty program of the Kuwaiti government, the state of OFWs in embassy shelters, and the rescue of OFWs (this is what she herself says in a live video dated April 19).

Watching her videos, listening to how she was speaking to government officials and OFWs, revealed what we all know to be Mocha’s basic lack of sense about the proper behaviour of government officials, but especially so during this highly sensitive situation. Suffice it to say that her kind of “coverage” would have been enough to do us in with the Kuwaiti government, especially given diplomatic relations vis a vis our overseas migrant workers. If anything, I thought Mocha was reason enough for the Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry to demand that the Philippines do this whole task of diplomacy better. (more…)

There ARE many, more important, things to talk about, other than her award from the UST Alumni Association Inc. I couldn’t care less about the fact that she was given it, in fact, and it must be said that it is absolutely offensive that the photos of Asec Mocha’s past life are being reposted on social media just to point out that she is undeserving of this award. Seriously: since when did this kind of shaming, as bound to an unapologetic conservatism, cloaked in Catholic righteousness, been acceptable? (more…)

At the tail-end of 2017, Bebang Siy invited me to judge some 18 blog entries that talk about fake news for the Saranggola Blog Awards. While many of the entries were taking from the same sources and tended to be redundant, the more interesting ones were those that tried to bring into their writing the more personal effect of being bombarded with lies and falsity and exaggeration that take the form of the news. The two other judges, even when we didn’t sit down to deliberate, actually had chosen the same winners I did.

It was certainly an experience that gave me hope: both for blogging and for writing. Because it reminded me of a time when blogging wasn’t about keeping a Facebook Page and microblogging, that is, writing statuses that detail your activities of the day, i.e., Asec Mocha, and most other Duterte Diehard Supporter pages. Neither was it about keeping a blog site that’s nothing more than reactionary, living off what’s happening on social media, and leeching off what’s already trending, i.e., Jover Laurio’s Pinoy Ako Blog. (more…)

Just as the last piece on Harry Roque being victimized by the arrogance and self-proclaimed infallibility of the President’s unofficial communications team on social media, Asec Mocha Uson published a video purportedly apologizing to mainstream media.

But of course the notion of an “apology” could only really be smoke and mirrors for what was nothing more than multiple statements that reflect the Asec’s misplaced notions about, and thoughtless skewed opinions on, the function of media, the fact of freedom of the press, and her responsibility as government official for social media.

Mocha’s strategy is clear: in a little more than five minutes, she sought to conquer the media by dividing the sector between those she considers as allies, and those that remain as enemies. It’s classic divide and conquer: make media organizations (and the public, and Duterte supporters) believe that she is not generalizing her hate against mainstream media. Never mind that in the course of 17 months she has consistently called them “fake news” or “fake news media,” and has (with violent rhetoric) discredited the work of journalists, photographers, media practitioners, and columnists for their biases, while using big words she doesn’t understand (credibility, responsibility, biases, freedom). (more…)

One of the more interesting things to come out of this short period of having Harry Roque as Presidential Spokesperson: it has revealed that the frontline informal communications team of the President cannot be told that they are doing something wrong.

They will not be reprimanded. Their faults will not be pointed out. And anyone who even so much as dares call them out will be considered an enemy. These Duterte social media leaders will turn their followers against you, allowing people to call you names and bully you. They will then call on the President to reverse his decision to hire you. They will watch as this happens, throwing their weight around because how dare you — how dare anyone! — tell them that they need an education? That they need to (gasp!) change?

This is what has happened to Harry Roque.

(more…)

Katrina Stuart Santiago

Katrina Stuart Santiago

Tag Archives: Mocha Uson

State of blogging, microblogging, media #crisis