Mocha Uson
MOCHA Uson, an avid supporter of President Rodrigo Duterte, has been appointed Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) Ambassador of 2016.
In a press briefing held at Malacañang Palace Wednesday afternoon, Mocha started off her speech by saying that the ordinary Filipino person won during the presidential elections last May when President Duterte was voted into office.
“Unang una, nanalo ang ordinaryong mga Pilipino na mailuklok at maiupo ang kanilang mahal na pangulo na si Presidente Duterte,” she said.
Mocha said Tim Orbos, chairman of the Metro Manila Film Fest 2016, called her personally and asked her to help promote the new standards of the MMFF. She said she is proud to have been part of the change that is coming to the film industry starting with the upcoming film festival.
“Ako po ay nilapitan nila to support MMFF. Tinawag ako for a meeting with Chairman Orbos at mga Executive Committee members kasi gusto nila magkaroon ng pagbabago sa MMFF,” said Mocha.
According to Mocha, she will help the MMFF by making a buzz in several social media platforms in support of the diverse movie lineup for this year, doing away with the repetitive stellar cast every year.
“Ang gagawin ko naman dito ay paiingayin ko po sa social media at hihikayatin ko yung mga kababayan natin na suportahan po yung pagbabago dito sa MMFF. Ang para sa akin po ay tutulong po tayo dito sa MMFF 2016 para sa pagbabago na ating inaasam,” she said.
With her appointment, netizens expressed their frustrations online which resulted in “Mocha Uson” landing on the top 10 trending topics on Twitter on Wednesday.
“Sobrang daming naghirap para sa bagong MMFF. Ang lalim din ng history ng struggle para mabago ito. Tapos Mocha as ambassador? Bastos talaga,” tweeted writer and film critic Richard Bolisay.
Some even called for a boycott of the MMFF. However, there were also those who argued that skipping this year’s MMFF would be a cruel thing to do, especially to those filmmakers who poured their hearts out for the entries.
“If you boycott the MMFF 2016 to spite Mocha Uson, know this: Sa huli, tayo ang talo. Bakit? Mawawalan na ng gana ang mga taga pelikula,” tweeted editor Irish Dizon.
The eight films that are part of the film festival are: “Sunday Beauty Queen,” “Seklusyon,” “Kabisera,” “Die Beautiful,” “Vince & Kath & James,” “Oro,” “Saving Sally” and “Ang Babae sa Septic Tank 2.”