President Rodrigo Duterte of the Phillipines does another rape joke about rape and got bashed by the defenders of women's right including daughter of former US President Bill Clinton. "Not funny. Ever" Chelsea Clinton tweeted responding about Duterte's joke by the New York Time's chief White House correspondent Peter Baker. " Duterte is a murderous thug with no regard for human rights. It's important to keep pointing out & that rape is never a joke," another tweet in response to another tweet.The President said the joke on Friday in a morale-boosting speech to soldiers in Iligan City, about 25 kilometers north of Marawi City, where is currently under martial law declared by Duterte to deal with ISIS and Maute Group Terrorist who ruined the Muslim city last week.
Duterte was well-known as a man who always curses, he assured that he would take responsibility of the action of the troops on martial law. "If you go down, I go down. But for this martial law and the consequences of martial law and the ramifications of the Martial Law. I and I alone would be responsible. Just do your job." Duterte said "If you had raped three, I will admit it, that's on me," he added.
Presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella said Mr. Duterte was just expressing his full support to the soldiers on the battlefield "taking complete responsibility for their actions, even exaggeratedly describing crimes like taking a fourth wife." Abella said Sen. Rids Hontiveros appealed about this joke and tweeted "Again, rape is not a joke. Rape is a crime," "Rape is a violation of the bill of rights which is not suspended by martial law."
Tanggol Bayi, A group of women's right defenders stated "Rape is a heinous crime, never a laughing matter. Rape by state security forces is even worse." "While we continue to stand against groups that inflict terror on the people of Marawi, we stand against any form of human rights violation by the state.
Emboldened by Duterte's martial law declaration in Mindanao," it said. This is not the first time that President Duterte cracked a rape joke. Many bashed him on his campaign when he recalled a 1989 prison riot where an Australian missionary was raped and later killed. In his joke, he said that the missionary was beautiful and as a mayor, he should be the first one in line.
He quickly apologized because he doesn't seem to offend women and other rape victims. In a radio interview Sen. Vicente "Tito" Sotto III, who was claiming that he was told of president's speech and tried to explain what's Mr. Duterte trying to say "He wad telling them to be careful. That was what I was told. I did not hear it exactly. I was just told about it. It was like 'If you rape somebody, it's like I did it myself," he said.
Rape is a sensitive case, just by saying the word "rape" many of us are triggered by it so others couldn't stand the joke about it while Sen. Manny Pacquiao said that the President was just joking.
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