EFFORTS to depict President Rodrigo Duterte as a misogynist are tainted with politics, his closest aide said Wednesday, May 23.
In a statement, Special Assistant to the President Christopher Lawrence Go slammed initiatives to use hashtag Babae Ako (#BabaeAko) to lash out at the President's supposed anti-women tirades.
Go defended Duterte, saying that the President's style of self-expression "has always been taken out of context."
"To say that President Duterte is not pro-women and looks down on women is truly unfair. These allegations are clearly political," he said.
A group of women launched a social media campaign on Sunday, May 20, in retaliation of Duterte's alleged misogynistic behavior.
Influential women, including former Social Welfare secretary Judy Taguiwalo, joined the campaign, saying she would "fight back" as she was wrong to believe that Duterte serves the Filipino people.
The President had earned criticisms over his recent remark that the next Ombudsman should not be a "woman."
Prior to this, Duterte also drew flak for directing the soldiers to shoot female rebels in their genitals.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. said Duterte's remarks against women are "a mere play of words" that are reflective of his "growing frustration over the continuous and non-stop tirades" against his administration by ousted Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno and Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales.
Go said the President "has always been a firm believer and protector of women's rights."
"He has high respect for women. In fact, he has pushed for local laws and created programs that uphold women's rights while he was still mayor of Davao City, including the landmark Women Development Code and the creation of the Integrated Gender Development Division of Davao City," Duterte's most trusted aide said.
"Because of these advocacies, Davao City has been recognized as a Gender and Development Local Learning Hub in the Philippines," he added.
Roque, for his part, said the recent appointments of Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, acting Social Welfare Secretary Virginia Orogo, and Commission on Elections Commissioner Socorro Inting are proof that women can occupy leadership roles under Duterte's watch. (VoxPop Philippines)
