Newly crowned Binibining Pilipinas International Mariel de Leon criticized Mocha Uson’s appointment as Assistant Secretary of the Presidential Communications Operations Office in a series of tweets early Wednesday morning.
“What is happening Philippines,” went Mariel’s initial tweet that accompanied a news item by the Philippine Star reporting Uson’s PCOO appointment. Her tweet, which she has since deleted, drew sharp reactions from netizens, some of whom the beauty queen engaged in testy exchanges.
When asked to elaborate on what she meant by her reaction, the daughter of actors Christopher de Leon and Sandy Andolong minced no words in questioning Mocha’s qualifications for the job.
“I love my country so it breaks my heart to know someone like her got a position in the govt…There are so many other unbiased, educated, and respected (and respectful) people who deserve her place,” Mariel said in tweets that she also later deleted.
In another response, Mariel called Mocha “biased and disrespectful” but stressed that she was not taking the side of “the other side” but insisted that she was for “the truth and for my country.”
Mariel went on to explain her position in succeeding tweets, most of which she has also deleted as she cited Mocha’s perceived propensity for spreading fake news, which the latter stated she personally wanted to fight in her own Facebook post following her appointment.
“Fake and biased news will just bring our country down deeper than the dirt on our feet..Politics and corruption is poison for the soul of our country.”
(1/2) There are so much issues happening in our country now so I'm glad that I have the platform now to voice out my opinions.
— Mariel de Leon (@mariaangelicadl) May 9, 2017
(2/2) See, beauty pageants aren't just for "standing there and looking pretty".
— Mariel de Leon (@mariaangelicadl) May 9, 2017
Mariel also qualified that she was not necessarily criticizing President Duterte himself but also admitted to another follower that the president was “not perfect at all.”
“I didn’t criticize the President himself. I’m talking about fake news and corruption,” went another of her deleted tweets.
Mariel also replied to those who expressed their concerns that being opinionated might jeopardize her chances of winning the Miss International crown.
“Receiving messages saying I shouldn’t speak up like that otherwise I won’t win the Intl crown. Uh… So para sa inyo, Crown over Country???…That’s why we’re not evolving. Because some people care more about the superficial than what really matters. It’s always Country over Crown.”
In her more recent tweets, Mariel took on a more conciliatory tone. She appealed to her followers to update her about the latest news and not hesitate to correct her when she’s wrong or misinformed.
Twitter friends! PLS don't hesitate to send me news updates about any issue. Binibini schedule has been hectic so I'm not always updated.
— Mariel de Leon (@mariaangelicadl) May 9, 2017
And don't be afraid to educate me when I'm wrong. (Educate, not belittle and insult!)
Let's help each other out!
— Mariel de Leon (@mariaangelicadl) May 9, 2017
There is no point in making such a small issue this big, you guys! This is just Twitter. All love!
— Mariel de Leon (@mariaangelicadl) May 10, 2017