President Duterte has made yet another off-colour remark about raping women.
The insensitive ‘joke’ was made yesterday (Friday, July 14) when the president was addressing a group of Filipino diplomats in Davao City.
“What I don’t like are kids being raped,” he said. “You can mess with, maybe Miss Universe. Maybe I will even congratulate you for having the balls to rape somebody when you know you are going to die.”
The remark was made as the president sought to justify his ongoing war on drugs, which has been blamed for thousands of deaths.
Addressing criticism of his bloody crusade, the president said: “Human rights? That is bullshit to me.”
He also fondly recalled how he insulted President Obama after he criticised the policy. To the delight of his audience, he again called the ex-president a “son of a whore”.
Yesterday’s quip was not the first time the president has joked about women and rape.
In May this year he joked that troops preparing for deployment to Marawi city could rape up to three women with impunity.
“You can each rape three women and I will protect you,” he said. “Do not worry. I will join you. I will… If you go down, I go down. But for this martial law and the consequences and its ramifications, I and I alone would be responsible. I am here to say to you, fight and I will pray for you and I will answer for everything,”
The comment sparked criticism on social media and Chelsea Clinton, daughter of former US president Bill Clinton and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, called Duterte “a murderous thug with no regard for human rights.”
The president replied to this by reminding her of her own father’s dalliance with Monica Lewinski.
Earlier, while on the presidential campaign trail, Mr Duterte recalled a 1989 prison riot in which Australian missionary Jacqueline Hamill was raped and murdered.
In what was intended as a joke, Duterte said the victim was “beautiful” and that as mayor of Davao city, where the riot took place, he should have been first in line. He later apologised and said he did not intend disrespect to women or rape victims.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkYPE7QSI1c