Rodrigo Duterte, a Philippines leader who is known for his offensive rhetoric against women called the participants of the gender-equality march ‘puta’, or bitches.
The event marking Outstanding Women in Law Enforcement and National Security of the Philippines gave another opportunity for President Duterte to express his view of the gender-equality activists. Speaking at the event, Duterte criticised women and called them ‘crazy women’.
“You criticise every sentence or word I say,” Mr Duterte told women who gathered at the event. The national leader also complained that women always criticise every word he says. That is why the president bemoaned women “depriving me of my freedom of expression”.
His speech followed divisive comments last week in which he warned women to stay away from Catholic priests – who have been some of the most vocal critics about his brutal war on drugs – because they might be “cornered” in a church once the priest had caught the “scent of your body”.
Duterte’s sexism at the gender-equality event is limitless, say the experts
Rodrigo Duterte’s position towards gender equality is known very well, a year ago he was branded a misogynist and “macho-fascist” after he ordered soldiers to shoot female communist rebels in the vagina.
The speech at event Outstanding Women in Law Enforcement and National Security of the Philippines had drawn criticism particularly from women, but in true Duterte style, he used Monday’s appearance to double down on the comments. He rejected the criticism and also used the event to attempt to demonstrate how much he admired women.
“I love women,” he told the crowd. “That’s why you see I have two wives. That means I like women.”
President’s speech was met with light laughter at moments, though main silence.
