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‘FACT-CHECKED PO IYAN’

Mocha denies spreading, being a source of fake news


Entertainer and Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) member Mocha Uson has denied that she was a source of fake news and alternative facts, as she scrutinizes whatever material she posts on her influential social media accounts.

"Opo, ma'm, fact-checked po iyan," Uson told program host and economist Solita Monsod during Monday's episode of "Bawal ang Pasaway kay Mareng Winnie." 

Nevertheless, there had been at least two occasions in which Uson's posts had led to accusations that she was a source of fake news. 

One of these was a picture of a nine-year old rape victim, accompanied with a denunciation of the Duterte administration's critics over their failure to condemn the assault and support the government's anti-crime policies.

It turned out later that the victim in the picture was that of a Brazilian girl who was raped in Altamira December of 2014.

Uson, however, argued that the item was not originally hers, and she was just re-posting the material. "Una po ma'm, hindi ko po sinabi na nangyari sa Pilipinas 'yon. I did not post that, shinare ko lang po yung post ng isang Facebook user. At hindi ko po sinabi na nangyari sa Pilipinas 'yan," she insisted.

"Of course not [that did not happen in the Philippines]. Sinabi ko may mga ganitong nangyayari, katulad doon. Pero hindi ko sinabing yun ang nangyari dito," Uson explained. "Ang problema po, ma'm, maraming nag-aakusa fake news ako. Pero nandiyan po ang mga sources ko."

Another of Uson's posts that people took issue with was her claim that a corporation owed the government some P96 billion in taxes based on "Article 263" of the Philippine Constitution.

The MTRCB member sheepishly admitted that she had made a mistake in this occasion. "Pasensya na po... Nag-erratum na po ako diyan. What I meant was yung tax code po."

Nevertheless, Uson was adamant that the vast majority of her posts were factually accurate. 

"Unang-una po hindi po ako nagpapalaganap ng fake news. Dahil nabanggit ko po kanina, I indicate my sources, ma'm. Nandoon po iyon. At karamihan ay galing po sa mainstream media. At, as much as I can, kinukuha ko po directly from government agencies."

Suspension

Uson also argued that the suspension of her Twitter account had less to do with fake news, and had more to do with the maneuverings of "yellow trolls."

She explained that she had been trying to expand her social media following on Twitter, and her detractors took advantage of this.  

"Try natin pumunta ng Twitter. So nag-announce po ako, 'OK, mga ka-DDS, pumunta tayo sa Twitter. Magpa-hashtag tayo, DDS Twitter Party," Uson elaborated. 

"Nung in-announce ko iyon, yung mga yellow trolls sa Twitter, sinabotahe na po yung hashtag. Ang ginawa nila, ginamit po yung hashtag na #DDSTwitterParty, pero inilabas yung unang hubad na mga pictures ko po doon."

She thus bristled at the claim that her Twitter account was suspended over "hate tweets."

Uson also suggested that she was a victim of social media discrimination. "Nung na suspend yun, tuwang tuwa sila, sina Edwin Lacierda, Leah Navarro, Jim Paredes. Tuwang-tuwa sila. Sabi nila, hindi ito ang lugar mo, lumugar ka, doon lang daw sa Facebook," she elaborated.

She added that Twitter eventually restored her account and apologized to her in an email, given that "wala naman daw pong violation."

MTRCB

Uson had started out as a singer. Several bands and evolutions later, she was leader of the Mocha Girls, which was famously known for its racy performances. "[A]ng imahe po kasi ng Mocha Girls ay sexy. Pero sa performance lang po iyon, sexy image," she explained.

She had also acted in several R-rated movies, and wrote a column for a men's magazine. "Kaya po ako napunta sa landas na iyon, naging blogger po ako sa isang sexy men's magazine," she explained. "So nagblo-blog po ako doon about sex, sex education. Doon po nagsimula yung sexy."

As it turned out, according to Uson, this background gave her the tools to be an MTRCB member and an advocate against television soft-pornography.

"Kaya maganda po, mas alam ko," Uson said laughingly. "Kung ang purpose ng eksena na iyon [sa telebisyon] ay para ba sa artistry, ang eksena, o pampatigas lang ng kalamnan."

She also made it clear that she did not take on soft-core porn because she had an ax to grind with a television network.

Also, she took on the MTRCB job as this was one more way she could support President Rodrigo Duterte's administration. "Marami pong mga artist ang inalok sa posisyon na ito. Siyempre, 'pag artist ka, isa sa mga qualification mo iyon to be a board member. At narinig ko po na maraming tumanggi, bacause maliit lang po yung kikitain nila compared sa trabaho nila bilang entertainer," Uson explained.

"So, sa akin, parang, nasaktan naman ako na, dahil lang sa pera tatanggihan nila yung serbisyo para sa bayan. Kaya doon po ako na-challenge na, tatanggapin ko po ito as long as pwede kong i-donate yung sweldo. In fact, sabi ko, huwag n'yo na akong sweldohan, since yung sweldo idu-donate ko na lang sa charity."

As for her support for President Duterte, she easily admitted that it had no limits: "Hanggang saan po? Siyempre hanggang matapos po ang kanyang termino. Hindi po siya perpektong presidente dahil wala naman pong perpekto."

"Ngunit, nakikita po ng mga supporters niya yung hard work, yung kanyang ginagawang pagbabago sa ating bansa."

Uson concluded that it really was not about Duterte. "It's about his leadership." —DVM, GMA News

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