MALACAÑANG on Tuesday distanced itself from the latest controversy hounding Overseas Workers Welfare Administration deputy administrator Margaux “Mocha” Uson, who allegedly violated quarantine rules when she attended a gathering of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) undergoing mandatory quarantine in Lian, Batangas.
“Ifo-forward ang impormasyon na ito sa OWWA Administrator, siya ang magdedesisyon (This information will be forwarded to the OWWA Administrator, he will decide on it),” presidential spokesman Harry Roque said.
OWWA Administrator Hans Leo Cacdac came to the aid of Uson, appealing to the public to let the incident Uson pass until after the COVID-19 pandemic subsides, saying they need all the manpower available to help displaced OFWs.
“We are in the middle of a crisis. We are all hands on deck here in OWWA. It is the seventh week and we need every person that we need and DA Mocha has been very valuable for us in terms of community outreach, talking to LGUs, visiting hotel facilities, coordinating with government officials. So we need all hands on deck here,” said Cacdac.
“My suggestion is we will look into this matter after the quarantine. We let this crisis pass. We won’t do any investigation for the duration of the quarantine because we need all the help we could get,” he added.
Uson, a former assistant secretary at the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) who resigned to run, and lost, for a party-list position in 2018, shared on her social media page that she attended a gathering in Batangas where 322 OFWs were quarantined.
She said she was checking on the condition of the OFWs.
Batangas is covered by the enhanced community quarantine set to end on May 15.
Cacdac said based on her preliminary discussions with Uson, the purpose of her visit was to remind the quarantined OFWs that they need to observe social distancing and avoid mass gatherings.
Residents in the area had complained to the OWWA that the quarantined OFWs were swimming in a nearby beach.
“This is a matter that was well-intentioned. It has achieved its purpose in terms of communicating the message of reminding them about the mandatory quarantine,” Cacdac said. — With Gerard Naval
