Fresh from the Cavite campaign sortie where controversial blogger Mocha Uson declared her support for him, presidential candidate Isko Moreno faced questions about what this new alliance means for his commitment against online disinformation.

He was asked about this right before the start of the first presidential debate hosted by the Commission on Elections on Saturday, March 19, at the Sofitel Tent.

How can he “reconcile” his call to supporters to stick to facts with his new association with Uson who has been slammed for using her Facebook page to make misleading or outright false claims and for vilifying media critical of the Duterte government?

But rather than answer the question directly, Moreno sidestepped. He pointed to how Uson has responded to allegations about spreading fake news instead of clarifying his own stance on disinformation.

“Did you file cases against her? If there is a case, then she would be able to answer it under the rule of law,” said the presidential candidate.

“Basta tayo, kailangan natin lahat ng tulong, kailangan makumbinsi natin na iboto ang (On our part, we need all the help we can get to convince people to vote for) Isko-Doc Willie,” he added.

In 2017, then-senator Antonio “Sonny” Trillanes IV  filed administrative and criminal complaints against Uson – a Palace communications assistant secretary at the time – for spreading “fake news” that he owned offshore bank accounts and for other alleged unlawful acts committed by the official.

The year after, Akbayan Youth filed a complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman seeking the dismissal of Uson over disinformation.

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‘Changed her mind’

Moreno was also reminded that his own city public information office had tagged as “fake news” an August 2021 post on Uson’s page that made it appear like a mall where a packed crowd had gathered for COVID-19 vaccination was located in Manila.

The post cast Moreno in an unflattering light because it made it seem that his city government was unable to enforce social distancing rules. Uson’s post also echoed a criticism of President Rodrigo Duterte for an unnamed mayor widely believed to have been Moreno, at a time when Moreno was placing second in pre-election surveys.

But apparently, for Moreno, that’s water under the bridge.

“Thank you very much if she changed her mind. That’s the same thing that I want to happen for our countrymen, that they switch to Isko,” said the Manila chief in a mix of English and Filipino.

Moreno had taken a strong stance on online disinformation, saying he would exact accountability from American social media companies themselves for the fake news allowed to proliferate on their platforms. – Rappler.com