Mocha Uson to wait for ConCom’s advice if she’ll appear in Senate hearing about federalism

August 2, 2018

Presidential Communications Operations Office Assistant Secretary Margaux "Mocha" Uson said on Thursday that she would take her cue from the consultative committee that prepared a draft new constitution if she would appear in a Senate hearing regarding the plan to shift to federalism.

Senator Nancy Binay has said that she would propose to the committee on constitutional amendments headed by Senator Francis Pangilinan to invite Uson as one of the resource persons in the hearing on charter change.

This was after the ConCom said that Uson could be tapped in the government's information drive on the proposed constitutional amendment, which would pave the way for the government's shift from unilateral to federal.

"Thank you to Senator Nancy for considering me as a resource person, resource speaker," she said.

However, she could not say yet anything about the matter because she has yet to have a "brainstorming" with ConCom spokesperson Ding Generoso on Friday at PCOO Office in Malacanang.

Asked if she would appear in the hearing, Uson said, "Let's see what's the advice of ConCom."

She said she would use the social media in explaining to the public what federalism is.

Asked if federalism would help the country, Uson said, "the question is, is there any change with this kind of government that we have right now?"

She said that since President Rodrigo Duterte was still campaigning for the presidency, he was already pushing for federalism.

She said if many were saying, including Duterte, that federalism could help, "why don't we try it," she added.

A Pulse Asia survey released last month showed that majority or 62 percent of the Filipinos were against the proposed shift to federalism.

The Duterte administration has vowed to intensify the information campaign about charter change and the shift to a federal government. Celerina Monte/DMS