Background
Mothers for Change is a new partylist formed by former PCOO assistant secretary and Duterte ally Mocha Uson. She is running as its first nominee, together with Michele Gumabao – a former beauty pageant and Ms. Globe contestant – as the second nominee.
The group has been roundly criticized given that neither nominees are mothers themselves. Ms. Gumabao tried to skirt the issue by saying that motherhood has several definitions and does not only refer to a biological mother.
Despite efforts to disqualify the group, the Comelec has still accredited it on the basis of a 2013 ruling that only groups applying to be sectoral parties have to prove that a majority of their members come from marginalized groups.
Mothers for Change was formed as a platform for individuals who were government appointees of Duterte to consolidate their power. Mocha Uson has benefited from several government appointments in various agencies including as a member of the MTRCB (2017), Assistant Secretary in the PCOO (2018), and finally as a Deputy Executive Director in the OWWA (2019). In July of 2021 both Gumabao and Uson were tapped as women ambassadors to promote the work of NTF-ELCAC. The controversial council has been linked with various acts of red-tagging, including their accusations that organizers of community pantries belonged to communist fronts.