MANILA - Former Palace communications assistant secretary Mocha Uson has filed her certificate of candidacy for party-list representative, banking on her popularity in social media to catapult her to a seat in Congress.

A former sexy dancer who supported Duterte heavily during the presidential campaign, Uson resigned her post last October 3 and is now seeking a seat in Congress as representative of Kasosyo party-list.

• Mocha Uson resigns, says fight has just begun

Uson has proven herself to be an asset in the communications machinery of the administration, which has been accused of using fake news to advance its agenda and silence critics. She manages a Facebook “blog” that is followed by an astonishing 5 million followers, making her a vital cog for the administration in this age of social media.

She recently drew flak over a video about federalism that featured dancing and another clip that courted protests from the deaf community. This prompted even those she was working with in the Palace to call for her resignation.

She has also butted heads with opposition figures such as Vice President Leni Robredo and Senator Antonio Trillanes IV.

But President Rodrigo Duterte said despite the “heavy criticisms” against Uson, “I supported her. Freedom of expression iyan.”

The controversial personality is running as an independent candidate. In the last Pulse Asia survey, Uson ranked 45-63 for possible senatorial candidates.