MANILA - President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday said Palace Communications Assistant Secretary Mocha Uson will run for senator in the mid-term elections.

“Mocha, I think, is also running for senator,” Duterte said in a speech before the Filipino community in Hong Kong.

Uson was a key figure in the Duterte campaign, as she was popular among the long-time Davao City mayor’s supporters online.

Uson, however, has been accused by government critics of using the social media platform for spreading fake news.

She earlier said only Duterte can make her run in the elections. She has already received the endorsement of the President’s daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte.

She has also been included in the list of possible senatorial bets made by House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, a stalwart of the ruling PDP-Laban political party.

Also present during Duterte’s meeting with the Filipino community were the President’s top aide, Christopher “Bong” Go, his spokesperson Harry Roque, and Labor secretary Silvestre Bello III, who are all being rumored to be gunning for a Senate seat in 2019.

Duterte also addressed Go as his “favorite senator.”

Go has been slowly stepping out of Duterte’s shadow, amid persistent calls from the President’s supporters for him to run. While he remains non-committal for a Senate run, Go has been noticeably making his presence more felt on social media and in several public gatherings.