Blogger Margaux “Mocha” Uson earned netizens’ enraged tweets on her criticism of Pasig Mayor Vico Sotto after his plea to allow tricycles to operate in the city despite the government’s transportation ban during community quarantine.
The Pasig Mayor appealed to the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) to allow the operation of tricycles in his city so that health workers, frontliners, and citizens with health concerns will be able to travel, especially those who can only be reached by small vehicles.
The blogger, signed as Admin Banat By, shared through their Facebook page their criticism of the mayor, questioning Sotto on why should they be exempted in the prohibition of public vehicles by allowing tricycles to operate if other cities were able to comply to the transport ban.
The administrator of the page also tagged the Pasig Mayor as ‘pabebe’ or acting cute.
“Eto ‘yung sinasabi ko eh. Kaya ng ibang lugar bakit eto si Mayor Sotto pabebe? Bukas pag-uusapan natin ito. Papaliwanag ko kung bakit sablay ang pabebe ni Sotto (This is what I’ve been saying. Other cities were able to comply, but why is Mayor Sotto trying to act cute? Let’s talk about this tomorrow. I’ll explain to you why Sotto’s cute act is a flop),” said the post.
Uson, who is also the deputy administrator of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), denied involvement in the post on Thursday and clarified that it was not her who wrote the remark but a different administrator of the page, despite the blog bearing the title of her name.
“FYI, Mocha Uson Blog is now composed of different bloggers and admins. We practice free speech though we differ in opinions on different matters. So, saying that I am against VICO SOTTO is FAKE NEWS since it was posted by another admin. I hope this clears everything,” said Uson in a tweet.
The Pasig City Mayor retaliated by saying he has no time to fight against trolls and will just focus on his job amid the COVID-19 threat and is just “trying to do our best to save lives.”
“Alam niyo naman po wala ako troll farm. Kayo na po bahalang tulungan ang Pasig para di mabahala/malito ang mga Pasigueño sa mga trolls. SALAMAT PO. (Everyone knows that I do not have a troll farm. It is up to the netizens to help the Pasigueños so that they will not be confused with the trolls,” Sotto replied to a netizen who advised him to ignore the trolls.
Meanwhile, local netizens have trended #ProtectVico after a series of criticisms were thrown at the mayor while responding to the crisis brought by COVID-19 in the country. The netizens also commended his proactive leadership in combating the threat of the coronavirus disease in Pasig City.