{"id":151797,"date":"2018-02-08T23:32:32","date_gmt":"2018-02-09T04:32:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/?p=151797"},"modified":"2018-02-08T23:32:32","modified_gmt":"2018-02-09T04:32:32","slug":"roque-says-feminists-are-sometimes-a-bit-oa-on-dutertes-jokes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/2018\/02\/08\/roque-says-feminists-are-sometimes-a-bit-oa-on-dutertes-jokes\/","title":{"rendered":"Roque says feminists are ‘sometimes a bit OA’ on Duterte’s jokes"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"President<\/a>
FILE: President Rodrigo Roa Duterte and Presidential Spokesperson Atty. Harry Roque (ACE MORANDANTE\/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With the number of jokes on women the President has been making in his speeches, his spokesman chooses to defend him by saying that his feminist critics can be overreacting.<\/p>\n

In an interview with Franco Mabanta posted on his Facebook page on February 7, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, Jr. made the remark as he recalled funny stories told by President Rodrigo Duterte.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot. He is so lovable because sometimes, he\u2019s so funny,\u201d Roque said.<\/p>\n

According to a story he remembered, Duterte was joking about being accused by an international criminal court.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s saying, \u2018Well, I don\u2019t mind for as long as you allow conjugal visits by more than one woman,\u2019\u201d the Spokesman said, quoting the President.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know, sometimes, these feminists are really a bit OA. I mean, that\u2019s funny. Come on. Just laugh,” he added.<\/p>\n

Roque, however, followed that this humor and trait of the President are what make Filipinos love him more.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause in the Philippines, even if we are in despair even if we are like even hopeless, instead of crying, we laugh,\u201d Roque said, adding, \u201cSo, I think that\u2019s very Filipino. And that\u2019s why people identify with his humor.\u201d<\/p>\n

The President, known for his strongman remarks and swearing, has also made several \u2018jokes\u2019 on women and rape, which irked feminists.<\/p>\n

Just recently in his visit to New Delhi, India last month, he made a joke of using \u201c42 virgins\u201d as offerings to tourists visiting the Philippines.<\/p>\n

This has sparked critics to react and slam Duterte.<\/p>\n

(Read: CHR hits Duterte\u2019s joke on \u201942 virgins\u2019<\/a>)<\/p>\n

\u201cThese kinds of repeated sexist remarks strip Filipino women of their dignity and human rights. It diminishes women\u2019s ownership of their bodies and reduces them to mere sexual objects,\u201d CHR said in a statement.<\/p>\n

The Palace through Roque defended him in a statement, \u201cThat was clearly said in jest. There is no need to clarify what was really a joke made by the president if you don\u2019t mind. I\u2019m sure it was said as a joke. I\u2019m sure it was a joke.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With the number of jokes on women the President has been making in his speeches, his spokesman chooses to defend …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":151434,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1145,16,95],"tags":[46177,46178,15350,2444],"class_list":["post-151797","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headline","category-news","category-news-ph","tag-feminists","tag-franco-mabanta","tag-harry-roque-jr","tag-rodrigo-duterte","mauthors-bea-kirstein-t-manalaysay","mauthors-philippine-canadian-inquirer"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151797","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/33"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=151797"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151797\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/151434"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=151797"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=151797"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=151797"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}