Inspired by Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, social media personality and current Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) Deputy Administrator Mocha Uson has taken up motorcycle riding as her new passion.
“I’ve been wanting to learn how to ride a motorcycle for the past three years already, but I never had the chance,” she said. “Now, I did it. I can finally ride a motorcycle, but I still have a lot to learn.”
When asked why she decided to take up motorcycle riding, Mocha said she was inspired by Mayor Duterte’s example.
“We see Mayor Sara riding her motorcycle when making rounds in Davao City, making sure that her constituents are safe and sound. Like a mother who cares for her children, may tapang at malasakit [with courage and painstaking devotion]. I want to do that too – particularly for our OFWs [overseas Filipino workers] who continue to come home amid the pandemic.”
Mocha added that her latest skill, more than just being a new interest, carries a deeper meaning.
“For me, riding a motorcycle is a sign of independence, especially when you’re a woman. Mayor Sara embodies that kind of strength and independence. She shows that your options cannot be limited just because you’re a woman. And I intend to follow her lead.”
Mayor Duterte is known to ride her big bike around her city and on road trips in line with her duties. “One thing I like about my job is being able to bike going to work,” she wrote on Instagram some time ago.
Mocha, who has over five million followers on Facebook, hopes the story of how she learned to ride a motorcycle can inspire other Filipinas, particularly mothers.
“As women, we have the power to change society, and it all begins by choosing to start the change. I want my fellow Filipinas to realize that, especially our mothers.”
Mocha founded and runs Mothers for Change (MOCHA), a movement that advocates for the wellbeing of Filipino mothers in various social aspects, including health, livelihood, and legislative representation.
“Ang ating mga ina ang humuhubog sa atin bilang tao at bilang lipunan, kaya marapat lang makita nila na nasa kanilang kamay ang simula ng pagbabago,” she said.
[Our mothers mold us as individuals and as a society, so it is fitting that they see that the start of change is in their hands.]
