By Ferdinand Patinio
MANILA – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Wednesday urged vlogger Esther Margaux “Mocha” Uson, who is running for councilor in the 3rd District of Manila, to refrain from using campaign jingles that have “double meaning.”
In a letter dated April 8 and made public Wednesday, the poll body asked Uson to be more “direct to the point” in promoting her campaign advocacies instead of using words that border between “accepted speech and obscenity.”
Uson’s campaign jingle “Cookie ni Mocha” sounds close to the Filipino word for female genitalia.
The jingle was played at the March 30 proclamation rally of the local political party Yorme’s Choice, where Uson belongs.
It contains the lyrics “Cookie ni Mocha, ang sarap-sarap” (Mocha’s cookie is delicious), which Bataan Rep. Geraldine Roman earlier criticized for promoting the objectification of a woman’s body.
“Puns and double meanings may be used as literary devices in campaigns, but we hope that these are used not to distract from your political platform or skirt the line between accepted speech and obscenity, as we are in the context of elections,” it said.
It said the use of “sexually suggestive elements” in her campaign can detract voters from “serious discussions on policy, governance, and the future of our communities.”
It noted that by being direct, the actress-turned-politician would be able to promote her campaign advocacies among voters better.
“We trust that you will reflect on the impact of your current campaign approach and make choices that elevate political participation and discourse,” the poll body added.
In her reply to the Comelec, Uson said she already directed her campaign team to stop using the campaign materials in question.
“We are currently reviewing all our content to ensure that it aligns with the standards of decency and appropriateness expected in public discourse and electoral engagement,” she said in a letter to Sonia Bea Wee-Lozada, head of the poll body’s Task Force on Safeguarding Against Fear & Exclusion in Elections (Task Force SAFE).
Uson said she appreciates the feedback from the poll body and fully recognized the importance of maintaining a “respectful, inclusive, and age-appropriate tone in all campaign communications.”
Pasig bet invokes freedom of speech
Meanwhile, Pasig congressional candidate Christian Sia has responded to the show cause order by the Comelec over his lewd joke on single mothers.
“While the words may sound brash, my speech, in its entirety, fall within my freedom of speech,” Sia said.
“While the language and tone were indeed conversational with the use of everyday banter one would expect from ordinary people, my statements were not made to discriminate, exclude, restrict, demean, or harass female solo parents.”
He likewise questioned the legality of Comelec Resolution 11116 or the Anti-Discrimination and Fair Campaigning Guidelines, which is being used as the basis of his violations.
“Clearly, these are outside the jurisdiction of the Honorable Commission, as its power is limited to the enforcement and administration of laws and regulations relative to the conduct of an election, plebiscite, initiative, referendum, and recall,” he said.
The Comelec earlier called out Sia over his remarks saying single mothers who are still menstruating can sleep with him once a year.
Sia is in hot water again for allegedly body-shaming his former female staff during a campaign rally. (PNA)
