Gabriela, ACT-Teachers slam Duterte for his rape remark

FILE: President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, in his speech during the National Heroes’ Day commemoration at the Libingan Ng Mga Bayani in Taguig City on August 27, 2018, urged the Filipinos not only to honor the heroes but also to emulate the values that they have displayed. SIMEON CELI JR./PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday, August 31, drew the ire of women’s party-list group Gabriela over his recent rape remark.

“We strongly condemn this latest flamboyant display of misogyny, which places more Filipino women at risk of rape,” Gabriela said in a statement.

On Thursday, August 30, Duterte said in jest that the reason why Davao City has many rape cases is that it has a lot of beautiful women.

[READ: Duterte: Davao has many rape cases due to its beautiful women]

With this, Gabriela said Duterte “sends yet again a very dangerous and distorted message in his latest rape remark, that a woman’s beauty is a cause of rape.”

Gabriela said that this only confirms that Duterte is “proud to have rolled back whatever gains and legal mechanisms that have been instituted for women’s rights in Davao City.”

It also noted that someone who “finds pleasure in the mass killings of innocent people and who finds humor in demeaning women and enabling rapists is not fit to be President.”

Aside from Gabriela, ACT Teachers Representative France Castro also slammed the Chief Executive, saying that the latter should issue a public apology for his actions.

“President Duterte has once again reared his ugly misogynist, chauvinist head.

Instead of answering the issue of rape in his city—in his country, for that matter—he again resorted to victim-blaming and crass, unfunny jokes,” Castro said.

She added that Duterte is not a good example to the children, stressing that parents and teachers have to ‘erase’ the impression he gives to the kids on how” a real man and person” should act and speak.

“Hindi lang siya simpleng pagbubura na parang pagbubura sa blackboard dahil presidente siya (It is not as simple as erasing something on the blackboard because he is the president), supposedly an epitome of good character,” Castro stressed.

The Palace, however, downplayed the President’s statement, saying the public should not give “too much weight” on what Duterte says in jest.

The Chief Executive, who has been criticized several times for his actions and remarks against women, issued his statement in a speech during the 49th charter day celebration of Mandaue City.

He was responding to the latest report of the Philippine National Police (PNP) where it said Davao City recorded the highest incidence of rape cases in the second quarter of 2018 with 42, followed by Quezon City with 41 cases, Manila with 32, Cagayan de Oro with 24, and Zamboanga City with 21.