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FIRE MOCHA. Members of the Akbayan Youth听 hold a protest at the Office of the Ombudsman in Quezon City on Monday, April 2, 2018, as the group files a complaint against PCOO Asst. Sec. Mocha Uson for spreading fake news. The organization asks for Uson鈥檚 鈥渞emoval from office and dismissal from service鈥� over听grave misconduct, serious dishonesty, and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of public service. They say Uson has been a 鈥渟ource of numerous and deliberate misinformation.鈥澨� (Philippine Daily Inquirer/Grig C. Montegrande)
Youth and student leaders filed on Monday an administrative complaint against Presidential Communications Assistant Secretary Esther Margaux 鈥淢ocha鈥� Uson for allegedly using her position to proliferate 鈥渇ake news鈥� and silence the critics of the government.
In the 10-page complaint filed before the Office of the Ombudsman, Akbayan Youth sought for Uson鈥檚 鈥渞emoval from office and dismissal from service鈥� over grave misconduct, serious dishonesty, and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of public service.
鈥淎sec. Mocha is one of the biggest purveyors of disinformation in this government. We are drawing the line versus Mocha and all other government officials who lie to the public,鈥� said Shahmah Bulangis, co-convenor of Youth Resist, which is part of Akbayan Youth.
鈥淗indi tanga ang mga Pinoy. Wala na silang maloloko sa kanilang mapang-abusong panloloko. Kailangan na siyang matanggal sa pwesto,鈥� she added.
Before the filing, youth and student leaders carried protest signs and coffee cups with faces of Uson with the call #FireMocha.
鈥淧ublic service is no joke. Our taxes are wasted on public officials whose only jobs are to lie to the Filipino people,鈥� said Bas Claudio, secretary general of Akbayan Youth UP Diliman.
鈥淒isinformation only helps the Duterte dictatorship. Ang tao ang talo sa fake news,鈥� said Nathan Austria, a student leader from the University of Sto. Tomas.
Despite being appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte as a Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) assistant secretary on May 8, 2017, Uson maintains a public and open blog called 鈥淢ocha Uson Blog.鈥�
She also has a radio/television segment in radio station DZRH.
Akbayan Youth members said her online and public persona have been a 鈥渟ource of numerous and deliberate misinformation.鈥�
This, the group said, is contrary to the mandate of the PCOO to 鈥渆nsure transparency and full and appropriate disclosure of policies, programs, official activities, and achievements of the Office of the President and the Executive Branch which are of public concern, and to inform and communicate the same to the Filipino people.鈥�
The group also accused Uson of being a threat to the security of people who express their criticisms against the government, citing an instance when she made 鈥減ublic arbitrary ascertainment of facts which resulted to cyberbullying attacks against students who were in their right to peacefully protest.鈥�
They cited that in November 2016, Uson posted a blog, purveying 鈥渇alse accusations鈥� and 鈥渕isinformation鈥� that students of St. Scholastica鈥檚 College were required to attend a protest rally.
The youth organization also asserted that Uson is 鈥渘ot competent to discharge her functions as a public officer,鈥� and commits 鈥済ross dishonesty by deliberately using misleading statements.鈥�
The group said Uson鈥檚 blog posts citing non-existent 鈥淎rticle 263 of the Philippine Constitution,鈥� and her video blog where she erroneously said Mayon volcano was in Naga City, have caused 鈥渕isinformation and confusion to Filipinos.鈥�
The Assistant Secretary, they said, also dared some opposition officials to visit the wake of a slain law enforcement officer even though the officer had already died more than a year before Uson made her demand.
The group also cited that in May 2017, Uson referred to and used a photograph of Honduran military forces on a post referring to Philippine military forces.
Moreover, Akbayan Youth pointed out Uson 鈥渦ses her powers for the improper purpose of stifling dissenting officials from the opposition, an action which is contrary to the Constitution.鈥�
According to the group, Uson clearly demonstrated this when she alleged that opposition Senator Antonio Trillanes IV has offshore bank accounts, and when she called Vice President Leni Robredo 鈥渂obo鈥� during a radio program.
Shortly after the filing of the complaint, Senior Deputy Executive Secretary Menardo Guevarra defended Uson, saying he believes she is not a purveyor of misinformation.
鈥淭o tell you frankly di ko naman binabasa lahat ng mga sa mga (I am not reading all these) blogs. I don鈥檛 have much time to go over these things. She鈥檚 consistently denied it so I鈥檒l take her word for it as a fellow worker, I鈥檒l take her word for it,鈥� he said in a press briefing.
READ:听Mocha is no spreader of fake news, 鈥業鈥檒l take her word for it鈥� 鈥� Palace official
In 2017, Trillanes similarly hurled seven criminal and administrative charges against Uson for spreading 鈥渇ake news鈥� about his supposed offshore bank accounts.
READ:听Trillanes files raps vs Mocha Uson over 鈥榝ake news鈥�
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