President Rodrigo Duterte has been branded a misogynist and “macho-fascist” after he ordered soldiers to shoot female communist rebels in the vagina.

In a speech to over 200 former communist soldiers in Malacañang last week, the Philippines president gave a directive of what to do with female guerrilla fighters.

“‘There’s a new order coming from the mayor, ‘We will not kill you. We will just shoot you in the vagina,’ ” said Duterte. He went on to say that without their vaginas, women would be “useless”.

Duterte mentioned the Visayan word “bisong”, meaning vagina, repeatedly throughout the speech, although it was later censored from an official Palace transcript, replaced simply with a dash. However, the remarks were recorded as having drawn laughter from the audience.

The crude orders drew anger from human rights organisations and women’s groups in the region.

“It is just the latest in a series of misogynist, derogatory and demeaning statements he has made about women,” said Carlos H Conde, the Philippines researcher for Human Rights Watch.

“It encourages state forces to commit sexual violence during armed conflict, which is a violation of international humanitarian law.”

Congresswoman Emmi de Jesus, speaking on behalf of the Gabriela Women’s Party, denounced President Rodrigo Duterte as a “macho-fascist,” and said his “anti-women” remark “takes state terrorism against women and the people to a whole new level”.

She described the president as the “most dangerous macho-fascist in the government right now,” adding: “He has further presented himself as the epitome of misogyny and fascism rolled in one.”

Duterte has a chequered history of making menacing and misogynistic remarks towards women. During his election campaign in 2016, speaking about the 1989 prison riot in which an Australian missionary was killed, and inmates had lined up to rape her, Duterte joked he wished he had the opportunity to rape her himself.

“Was I mad because of the rape? Yes, that’s one. But, she was so beautiful, the mayor should have been first. What a waste,” he said. In May last year, he also told soldiers in Mindanao – apparently as a joke – that while martial law was imposed, he would protect them from prosecution if they raped three women.

Last week it was announced that the International Criminal Court were looking into complaints that Duterte had committed crimes against humanity in his brutal and bloody war against drugs, which has seen a deat toll of over 4000. But the President said he did not mind being indicted and imprisoned by the International Criminal Court as long as it allows conjugal visits by more than one woman.

His spokesperson Harry Roque subsequently dismissed the allegations that Duterte was sexist and misogynist.

“You know, sometimes, these feminists are really a bit OA (overacting),” said Roque. “I mean, that’s funny. Come on. Just laugh.”

Hannah Ellis-Petersen

* The Guardian. Tue 13 Feb 2018 02.49 GMT Last modified on Wed 14 Feb 2018 00.25 GMT:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/feb/13/philippines-rodrigo-duterte-orders-soldiers-to-shoot-female-rebels-in-the-vagina

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Duterte: Shoot female rebels in their genitals

Rights groups slam Philippine president for the latest in a series of derogatory and demeaning comments about women.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has drawn condemnation from human rights watchdogs and women’s groups, after he said that female communist rebels in the country should be shot in their private parts as punishment for fighting the government.

Duterte’s declaration “is just the latest in a series of misogynist, derogatory and demeaning statements he has made about women,” Human Rights Watch said in a statement sent to Al Jazeera on Monday.

“It encourages state forces to commit sexual violence during armed conflict, which is a violation of international humanitarian law,” Carlos Conde, a Human Rights Watch representative in the Philippines, said.

According to a government transcript of a speech he delivered on February 7, Duterte said Philippine soldiers should not kill women rebel fighters.

“We will just shoot your [genitals], so that if there are no more [genitals], you would be useless,” Duterte said using a word in his native Visayan, a language spoken in central and southern Philippines.

The president also chastised female fighters for abandoning their children and families, in order to join the communist movement.

Emmi de Jesus, a Congress member representing the Gabriela Women’s Party, denounced Duterte’s “nasty remark”, saying it contributes to the culture of “impunity” in the country.

De Jesus said the president “further confirms himself as the most dangerous macho-fascist in the government right now”.

She added that Duterte is taking “state terrorism against women and the people to a whole new level”, and pushing soldiers “to commit more bloody human rights violations and grave abuses of international humanitarian law.”

Spokesman: Duterte’s jokes ’funny’

Duterte has been under fire several times for making misogynistic comments.

In January, during his visit to India, he told a group of Indian and Filipino business leaders in New Delhi that he would like to attract visitors to the Philippines by offering “42 virgins”.

In July 2017, he also made rape jokes while talking about Miss Universe.

Two months earlier, Duterte told soldiers fighting Muslim armed fighters in Marawi that they could rape up to three women without getting punished.

“I’ll imprison you myself,” he said, referring to soldiers who commit violations. Then he said: “If you had raped three, I will admit it, that’s on me.”

In the lead-up to his presidential election win in 2016, critics were outraged when he recalled a 1989 prison riot in which an Australian missionary was killed, and inmates had lined up to rape her.

Duterte said the victim was “beautiful” and as mayor of Davao City, where the riot took place, he should have been first in line. He later apologised and said he did not intend to disrespect women or rape victims.

On Wednesday, Harry Roque, Duterte’s spokesman, defended the president’s string of sexist comments, saying critics should lighten up.

“You know, sometimes, these feminists are really a bit OA,” Roque said using the Filipino term to mean over-acting.

“I mean, that’s funny. Come on. Just laugh,” he told a pro-Duterte social media personality, adding that people “identify with his humour”.

The Duterte administration has been engaged in an on and off peace negotiations with the communist rebels in the Philippines, since he came into office in mid-2016.

But following new clashes between government forces and rebel fighters in 2017, Duterte signed a proclamation labelling the communist fighters as a “terrorist” group, essentially breaking off the peace process.

He has also ordered the arrest of several community leaders.

The Communist Party of the Philippines launched a rebellion in 1968 that has so far claimed the lives of more than 30,000 people.

Ted Regencia

* SOURCE: AL JAZEERA NEWS. 12 Feb 2018:
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/02/duterte-shoot-female-rebels-private-parts-180212071345894.html

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