- President Duterte is known for his informal, no-nonsense style with his speeches loaded with profanity, threats, and jokes about taboo subjects which often puts him in the hot seat on both local and international media.
- President Duterte has made another rape joke last May 26 when he reassured soldiers who might be accused of committing abuses under martial law. This joke has irked a lot of netizens including Chelsea Clinton, daughter of former US President Bill Clinton and presidential Hilary Clinton.
- Chelsea Clinton called Duterte as a “murderous thug with no regard for human rights.”
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte continues to headline international press especially after cracking another rape joke in front of the military troops in Iligan City last Friday, May 26.
President Duterte has sought to reassure soldiers who might be accused of committing abuses under martial, and jokingly said that if any of them were to rape three women, he would personally claim responsibility for it.
“Huwag na kayo mag-alala. During martial law, your commanders—you—you can arrest any person, search any house. Wala ng warrant. Huwag kayo mag-alala, sasamahan ko kayo,” said the President.
He continued, “Trabaho lang kayo.[He tells the soldiers] Ako na magpakulong sa inyo. Kapag nakapag-rape ka ng tatlo, aaminin ko na akin ‘yon. Kapag nag-asawa ka ng apat, ay bugbugin ka.”
Duterte made the remark in speech to soldiers on Mindanao where he imposed martial law on Tuesday to try to crush Maute rebels who have been battling with the military after laying a siege in the southern city.
The president’s comment sparked criticism on social media which included Chelsea Clinton, daughter of former US president Bill Clinton and presidential candidate Hilary Clinton. Chelsea called Duterte “a murderous thug with no regard for human rights.”
She wrote on Twitter, “It’s important to keep pointing that out and that rape is never a joke. Not funny. Ever.”
This isn’t the first time that President Duterte has made a joke about rape. He caused outrage in the lead up during the presidential election last year when he recalled a 1989 prison riot in which an Australian missionary was killed, and inmates had lined up to rape her.
In what he intended as a joke, Duterte said the victim was beautiful and as mayor of Davao City where the said incident took place, he said he should’ve been first in line. He later apologized and said he did not intend to disrespect women or rape victims.
Known for his informal, no-nonsense style with his speeches loaded with profanity, threats, and jokes about taboo subjects, Duterte has offended some, but are taken lightly by many Filipinos.
Human rights groups and some lawmakers have criticized his decision to declare martial law as excessive, and say it could further lead to abuses by security forces. But Duterte said he is decisively acting, speaking with heightened confidence that law and order would be brought back to normal because of his martial law declaration in the south.
