On Sun evening, Oct 16, Matanglawin, Ateneo de Manila University’s college news magazine in Filipino released a statement about its contoversial lampoon issue called Mochang Tanga Blog which caused a stir on social media over the weekend. The title of the publication was clearly inspired by former sexy star Mocha Uson, who uses her blog and Facebook account to voice out her support for the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte.
The student publication said that Mocha should learn how to use social media responsibly after she posted a screengrab of the Facebook profile of Matanglawin‘s editor-in-chief Rambo Talabong, who also happened to be an intern on the online news site Rappler.
“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,” Mocha captioned her post.
In response to the post, the student publication released a statement about Mocha’s actions online. The publication said that Mocha should learn how to look for answers without turning to her followers, who often form their opinions based on speculations.
“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,” the statement said.
(“Matanglawin is asking the Mocha Uson Blog to use social media responsibly, especially since it has four million followers.”)
The publication also asked Mocha to take down the photo of their editor-in-chief, which also contained personal information, because it was a form of cyberbullying.
How did this all start?
The controversial satirical publication was distributed around the campus shortly after the win of President Rodrigo Duterte. Last week, Mocha posted a photo of the copy, and asked if it was distributed around the campus.
Her more recent posts have become more aggressive. In one post she said that the term “satire” was used as an excuse to bash the President and his supporters.
“The Mocha Uson Blog is perfect for satire because it’s… critical of the traditional media institutions and its practices while having many posts that are not credible on its own page,” Talabong said in a report by CNN Philippines.
The Matanglawin statement emphasized that the Mochang Tanga Blog issue was published as a lampoon, which aims to bring light to current social conditions through satire.
In the past years, Matanglawin has made issues mocking Rappler, UST’s The Varsitarian, and The Guidon, the university’s publication in English.
As of early Mon morning, Oct 17, Mocha had not yet issued a response to Matanglawin’s statement. Talabong’s photo is still up on her page.
You may read the complete statement of Matanglawin here.
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