‘No BOC post for Mocha’

There is no appointment for singer-dancer Mocha Uson as a consultant in the Bureau of Customs (BOC).

The BOC said this yesterday as it denied a report that Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon has designated Uson as the bureau’s social media consultant.

ABS- CBN News reported in the morning Faeldon’s appointment of Uson for the bureau’s public information campaign because she has four million followers for her blog and social media accounts.

But just about over an hour after, the BOC issued a denial on the report, which caused a stir on social media with netizens either criticizing the appointment or defending Uson’s eligibility.

“Commissioner Faeldon won’t appoint Mocha Uson as BOC social media consultant,” the bureau said in a statement.

The hashtag #DutertePleaseAppointMe trended on Twitter after it was initially reported that Uson was appointed as social media consultant to the BOC.

The hashtag was used by those who sarcastically posted credentials of people supposedly qualified for a government post.

“Appoint Grammar Na--

zis for Bureau of Corrections,” user @KathAloran tweeted.

“I nominate Rico J. Puno for Department of Environment and Natural Resources,” said @paulmartinreyes.

Political satire blogger Professional Heckler also listed his recommendations, such as actress Nanette Inventor for the Department of Science and Technology.

No payment

The BOC clarified that Faeldon only allowed Uson to write articles about the bureau on her blog – but without any compensation.

Faeldon himself made the clarification. He said he discussed the matter with Uson when she went to his office last Wednesday for an interview, but there was no such appointment.

“She wanted to help us disseminate our reform agenda through her blog. She also gave us advice on how to improve on our social media activities,” he said in an interview.

“But there is no official appointment. It was a voluntary act on her part,” the BOC chief stressed.

Uson has vocally supported Duterte’s anti-crime platform because her father, Judge Oscar Uson, was victim of extrajudicial killing in 2007, apparently in connection with a case he was handling.