Ateneo student magazine to Mocha Uson: Use social media responsibly

MANILA, Philippines – A student publication of Ateneo de Manila University urged popular blogger Mocha Uson to use social media responsibly, after she posted personal information of the magazine’s editor-in-chief and alleged that he was working for Rappler to attack her.

Uson, a vocal supporter of President Rodrigo Duterte, had earlier confronted student publication Matanglawin over a lampoon issue, “Tanganglawin,” which poked fun at her blog. She also claimed that the publication was allegedly being passed around in secret in the university, along with other reading materials.

Uson later shared a screenshot of the Facebook profile of Rambo Talabong, Matanglawin’s editor-in-chief. The screenshot highlighted his previous internship at Rappler.

In her caption, Uson wrote: “Could this be one of the reasons why I was used as front of Matanglawin’s satire? You know that I’m one of the people criticizing Rappler’s way of reporting. So ito ba ang way nila ng pag-atake sa akin pabalik na hindi ginagamit mismo ang Rappler? (So is this their way of getting back at me without directly using Rappler?)”

In a statement posted on Facebook on Sunday, October 16, the editorial board of Matanglawin denied Uson’s allegation, and urged her to take down her post, saying that it was a form of cyberbullying.

“Ang paglalantad ng personal na impormasyon nang walang pahintulot mula sa taong nagmamay-ari nito ay isang anyo ng cyberbullying at paglabag ng kalayaan sa pamamahayag na inimandato ng pambansang konstitusyon,” the statement read.

(Disclosing personal information without someone’s permission is a form of cyberbullying and a violation of the freedom of expression as enshrined in our Constitution.)

“Nananawagan ang Matanglawin sa MOCHA USON BLOG na matuto ng responsableng paggamit ng social media, lalo na at mayroon itong higit sa apat na milyong taga-subaybay,” it added.

(Matanglawin is calling on the Mocha Uson blog to learn how to use social media responsibly, especially since it has more than 4 million followers.)

The editorial board also said that it was not right for Uson to solicit answers from her followers on social media because it would only result in mere speculation.

“Hinihimok namin ang MOCHA USON BLOG na sa tuwing mayroon itong katanungan ukol sa kahit anong paksa, marapat na gawin nito ang lahat upang makahanap ng sagot. Hindi tama at hindi maayos na paraan ang paghingi ng sagot mula sa mga tagasubaybay sapagkat pawang mga spekulasyon at pang-aatake lamang ang ibubunga nito,” they added.

(We are urging the Mocha Uson blog to do all it can to find answers every time it has a question on any topic. It is not right for it to solicit answers from its followers because it would only result in speculation and attacks.)

Matanglawin’s editorial board pointed out that its annual satirical issue has mocked other media organizations in the past, such as Rappler, and student publications The GUIDON and The Varsitarian.

It added that the issue mocking Uson’s blog did not exclusively feature the blogger. It also discussed other topics such as extrajudicial killings, the proposed hero’s burial of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, and the South China Sea issue, among others. – Rappler.com