Female youth leaders slam Duterte’s ‘misogyny, macho-fascism’

MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte’s remark that he does not want a woman to be the next ombudsman dismisses the role of women in society, young women leaders all over the country said.

“We, united in the fight against tyranny and dictatorship, vehemently denounce President Rodrigo Duterte’s misogynistic remarks that downplay and demean the role of women in society,” the youth leaders said in a statement released Sunday. 

They noted that the president’s comment on ruling out women candidates for the next corruption buster would not be the last of his “macho-fascist statements.”

In February, Duterte ordered soldiers to shoot female New People’s Army rebels in the vagina.

He also defended the move to remove the statue of comfort woman along the Roxas Boulevard so as not to insult the Japanese. The two-meter-high high bronze statue, unveiled last December, was built to depict the Filipinas who were forced to work as sex slaves for Japanese troops.

“We remind all public officials that, having the power and influence to set policy agenda, they should denounce and refrain from any kind of remark that perpetrates a macho-fascist culture—a culture that should have been shelved centuries ago,” the young women leaders said.

The president is often criticized for his anti-women remarks, saying such comments encourage objectification and violence against women.

Duterte’s officials and supporters usually dismiss such remarks as instances of “sarcasm” or part of the president’s supposed humor.