Leading presidential candidate Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte’s joke about a murdered Australian rape victim has provoked a reaction from the top Australian diplomat in Manila.

In a short message posted in her official Twitter account on Monday, Australian Ambassador to the Philippines Amanda Gorely declared that “rape and murder should never be joked about or trivialized” apparently referring to a video footage that showed Duterte making light of the sexual assault by prison inmates on an Australian female missionary in 1989 when he was town mayor.

“They raped all of the women… There was this Australian lay minister… when they took them out… I saw her face and I thought, ‘what a pity… they raped her, they all lined up. I was mad she was raped but she was so beautiful. I thought, the mayor should have been first,” Duterte was shown on video telling a crowd of laughing supporters at a campaign rally.

In a statement released by his camp, Duterte said he was not ready to apologize publicly for his gutter language, which he said was made in “utter anger” over the killing of Australian missionary Jaqueline Hamill.

Hamill was murdered while ministering in a prison in Davao.

‘ILLOGICAL EXCUSES’

But Vice President Jejomar Binay, standard-bearer of the opposition United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) scored Duterte for making “illogical excuses” for his comments on the rape-slay of Hamill.

“Wala namang logic ‘yon (It has no logic),” Binay told Manila-based reporters in Cagayan de Oro after Duterte claimed he was merely venting anger when the latter joked about the rape-murder.

The “joke” can be heard in a viral video that’s currently causing Duterte’s biggest behavioral criticism since cursing Pope Francis in November, 2015.

“He claims to have said that only out of anger for the murderer. What does his intention of rape have to do with his anger toward the murderer? How does the expression of his anger relate to sexual perversion? Binay asked.

The Vice President appealed to fellow parents and grandparents to consider what voting for Duterte would mean for the future generations.

“(It’s) a leadership that not only disrespects women but one that will not think twice about killing minors suspected of crimes,” Binay warned.

He said that it’s the “moral obligation” of Filipino voters to prevent the likes of Duterte from becoming the next president.

Vice presidential candidate Sen. Antonio Trillanes  IV called in the Filipino electorate not to vote for Duterte. “This guy (Duterte) should not be president of our country. He is really sick in the mind.”

“Mayor Duterte’s rape joke, not to mention his cursing of Pope Francis, shows that he is really sick in the mind. This guy should not be president of our country,” Trillanes added.

The Liberal Party (LP) said Duterte has himself to blame for unmasking his irresponsibility, saying that voters will also have themselves to blame if they choose a candidate who will only assure an “insensitive and misguided presidency.”

LP spokesman and Caloocan City Rep. Edgar Erice said Duterte showed his true worth when he joked about the rape.

Erice said it was obvious that Duterte “doesn’t mind hurting the sensibilities of others or insulting the intelligence of our people with his sick jokes and gutter-coated innuendos.”

Gabriela Party-list Rep. Emmie de Jesus decried Duterte’s rejection of calls for him to apologize for the controversial remarks.

“His refusal to apologize reeks of arrogance and extreme machismo! Another case of culture of impunity!” said De Jesus.

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

“If the people do not like the remark, they can express it through the ballot, but otherwise, he has the right to free expression. That’s the way he expresses himself,” presidential candidate Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago said.

Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III, president of the PDP-Laban party, defended Duterte from criticisms over his rape joke.

“We just hope walang masyadong (there is not much) negative effect. He was just narrating what happened in 1989. He did not mean to offend women. He quoted what he said way back in 1989,” Pimentel said.

UNACCEPTABLE

“Violence against women and girls is unacceptable anytime, anywhere,” said Ambassador Gorely.

When sought for a reaction about Duterte’s latest inflammatory comment, the Australian embassy in Manila said in a text message that it has no official statement to issue.

According to the Australian embassy postings on social media, such as the one made by Ambassador Gorely, “refelects official stand on violence against women and children.”

Meanwhile, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines president Lingayen Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas leaves to the Filipino people to judge Duterte’s behavior.

To help Filipino voters decide, the prelate shared a link of the controversial video of Duterte that is currently circulating in social media in his Twitter account.

“Judge for yourself if this is the right choice. I will keep my personal judgment to myself. This video can help,” Villegas said in his twitter post Saturday. (With reports from Ellson A. Quismorio, Mario B. Casayuran, Ben R. Rosario, and Leslie Ann G. Aquino)

Source:
courtesy of MANILA BULLETIN

by Roy Mabasa

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