Duterte apologizes to Kris Aquino over Mocha Uson incident

After Kris Aquino hit back at entertainer-turned-government official Esther Margaux “Mocha” Uson yesterday for ‘disrespecting’ her late father, Special Assistant to the President Christopher “Bong” Go on Wednesday, June 6, said that President Rodrigo Duterte had apologized for the incident.

Go, who also said he is sorry for what had happened, narrated in a press conference that the Chief Executive had instructed him to send his apologies to Aquino.

“Sabihin mo (Tell her), ‘We are sorry for the incident,’” Go quoted Duterte as saying.

He also stressed that he and Mocha agreed to put an end to the issue, adding that the latter will also apologize to the showbiz personality.

“We agreed to put this issue to rest out of respect to all our fellow Filipinos,” Go said.

On June 4, Monday, Mocha posted a video on her official Facebook page, comparing a footage of Duterte kissing a female overseas Filipino worker (OFW) on stage in South Korea to a video clip of Kris’s father, former Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., being kissed by two female supporters on a plane few moments before he was assassinated. Mocha uploaded the said video to justify the President’s kissing gimmick that earned the ire of his administration’s critics, women’s rights group, and some netizens.

[READ: Kris Aquino to Mocha Uson: You disrespected my whole family]

‘Thank you, SA Bong’

In an Instagram post on Wednesday, Kris admitted that she “took the courage” to reach out to Go, whom she has known and liked for eight years, through a text message.

“In this instance I am Ninoy Aquino’s daughter – he believed in the power of true & honest communication… SA Bong, thank you for your reply,” the TV host said.

Kris then expressed her gratitude to Go for taking her feelings as a daughter into consideration and showing her empathy.

“I am most grateful for a man as powerful as you are now for texting and Vibering me the words ‘we are sorry for the incident.’ You have my sincere gratitude,” she stressed.

‘Face me’

In a separate post on Facebook, Kris extended her lengthy message to Mocha, challenging the communications assistant secretary to face her “anytime, anywhere.”

Calling out Mocha in a live video, the actress, while holding back her tears, said, “Sobra ka na eh, yung ginawa mo – ang mga sinaktan mo mahal na mahal ko (You are too much, what you did – you have hurt those people I love the most).”

“Gusto mo ng kaaway? Ako (You want someone to fight with? Me). I’m ready anytime anywhere, harapan (face-to-face). Gusto mo magdebate? Keri (You want a debate? Let’s do it),” Kris dared.

Kris even said that she is willing to reenact a scene from a movie Four Sisters and a Wedding, where actress Angel Locsin grabbed Mocha’s hair and dragged her on the street.

“You want na ako ikaw, at ikaw si Angel? Gawin natin para matigil ka lang (You want that I would be you and you will be Angel? Let’s do it so you will stop),” she told Mocha.

“I just want to say that I am ready for you. And this is a direct challenge to you. Face me. Face me anywhere. Text me, you can find my number, it’s so easy. Name the place, name the location, let’s carry it live. Bring all your followers… I can stand alone.”

As of writing, the video that Uson uploaded has garnered 19,000 reactions, 21,000 shares, and 1.1 million views on Facebook. The Presidential Communications Assistant Secretary has yet to issue an apology.