Comelec calls out Mocha Uson over 'sexually suggestive elements' in her campaign
The Commission on Elections has called out Manila councilor candidate Mocha Uson over "sexually suggestive elements" in her campaign.
The poll body, in a letter issued on April 8, expressed concern over the campaign's tone and content.
In Uson's vlog, she shared a clip of the her jingle which goes, "Cookie ni Mocha, ang sarap sarap."
"Puns and double meanings may be used as literary devices in campaigns, but we hope that these are used not to distract from your political platform or skirt the line between accepted speech and obscenity, as we are in the context of elections,' wrote Comelec Task force on Safeguarding Against Fear and Exclusion in Elections Director Sonia Wee-Lozada.
Lozada added that the "sexually suggestive elements" can "detract from serious discussions" about policy and governance but noted that the poll body does not want to belittle a campaign platform based on sexually positive themes.
"If this is your message to the constituency of the third district of Manila, then, by all means, we hope that you will proceed with your candidacy and campaign along those lines, albeit in a more deliberate manner with proper regard for age-appropriateness."
On April 8, Bataan Rep. Geraldine Roman, in an open letter, also criticized Uson for objectifying women through her jingle.
"The objectification of our bodies, even if it's meant to be a harmless joke or satire, chips away at the respect we've fought for. It reinforces the same narratives we've both worked so hard to change—that a woman's worth is tied to her physicality, not her mind or mission," she said.
"Mocha, our people our hungry, not for cookies or catchy tunes, but for solutions, jobs, decent healthcare, and a future for their children. Ibigay natin ito sa kanila. Let us level up our discourse and offer platforms that resonate with the hopes and dreams of the Filipino people."
Roman then asked to meet voters "not with distractions but with depth."
Amid the 2025 election campaign season, Comelec's Task Force SAFE has issued show cause orders to three candidates over their controversial remarks regarding women.
The first was Pasig Congressional candidate Christian "Ian" Sia for his sexual joke about single mothers, before being followed by Misamis Oriental Gov. Peter Unabia for saying that his administration’s scholarship program for nursing students was only for "beautiful women."
Sia was slapped with a second show cause order on April 8 after he publicly commented on his female staff's weight.
Meanwhile, Batangas Gubernatorial bet Jay Ilagan was called out after he called rival former Batangas Rep. Vilma Santos "laos."
Comelec's show cause order noted that the statements made may have violated Resolution No. 11116 or the Anti-Discrimination and Fair Campaigning Guidelines.
According to Section 3, a candidate shall be liable for an election offense if they "commit acts of bullying on the basis of HIV status, coercion, discrimination against women, discrimination against PWDs on the use of public accommodations, gender-based harassment, labeling, public ridicule against PWDs, vilification of PWDs, violation of an anti-discrimination ordinance, and/or violation of rights to religious, cultural sites and ceremonies."
