Angono Police issues reminders on how to avoid rape and netizens are not happy

On Facebook Tuesday, the Angono Rizal Municipal Police Station issued a 10-point list of reminders on how to avoid rape.

Written in Filipino, the list begins with “huwag basta makikipagkita sa katext o kachat lalo na at hindi mo naman ito ganung kakilala” followed by “huwag magsuot ng maiigsing damit.”

It’s generated more than 4,000 shares and 135 comments – mostly of the angry kind.

“Oh my God, please stop the victim-blaming and telling women what to do so they do not get raped, as if they deserved getting raped because they did not follow all these ‘don’t rules,’ read a portion of one comment written in all-caps. 

“Bakit hindi na lang kayo magbigay ng ‘guidelines sa kung paano rumespeto sa mga karapatan at pagkatao ng iba,” another wrote in all caps.

Among the calmer comments in the thread was also the simplest: “Dapat ganito. Paano makakaiwas ng rape: 1. Huwag mang-rape.”

According to Superintendent Ruben Piquero of the Police Community Relations section of Angono Municipal Police Station, the Facebook post is part of their strategy “para maka-contribute din for the common good.” It was also borne out of the cases that the Station has been handling.

He gave GMA News a background: In the first quarter of 2018, the police station got one rape case a month. And so they went on an information drive, distributing leaflets to the community and to their pleasant surprise, there were zero rape cases reported in the last two months.

In coming up with the tips, Piquero said they had done “research on social media, consulted with the community, accounts of victims, and observations.” He proudly shares the police station also has a gender sensitivity department, and lady investigators, who were all consulted in drumming up the list.

But people are angry, noting that the well-intentioned tip sheet pinned the blame on the victim again.

Gabriela Women's Party Representative Arlene Brosas urged the Angono police to take down the post, as it puts the blame on women for being raped.

"This is a classic case of victim-blaming and gross misinformation on rape," Brosas said in a statement.

"This rotten mindset being perpetrated by the state authorities themselves certainly emboldens perpetrators to commit rape and further puts women in a difficult situation. And the President's machismo and misogyny feeds into this rape culture," she added.

Brosas said that contrary to what the post is saying, short skirts and drinking do not cause rape, but rapists and the "misogynistic exhortations" of President Rodrigo Duterte.

"We will formally write the Angono PNP to take down its public advisory on rape and to attend our gender sensitivity and anti-Violence Against Women and their Children training," Brosas said.

But feminist organization Grrrl Gang is a bit more forgiving. “It’s good that at least they are able to identify that rape is a serious problem and must be addressed, but [the reminder is] reinforcing the problematic system that exists that tells us we should take precautions when in reality we should be teaching men not to rape instead of putting the burden on women,” Mich Dulce, co-founder of Grrl Gang tells GMA News Online on Facebook Messenger.

According to Piquero, a crime consists of three elements and their list aims to address one of them. “There are three elements. Desire, opportunity, and instrumentality. Yung opportunity yung gusto namin sinusugpoin,” he explains. 

Mich’s co-founder Marla Darwin had the same sentiments: “It’s very well-intentioned and it must be affirmed and commended. Unfortunately, they need help in communicating this concern. Their communication still places the blame on the victim and doesn’t address the perpetrators – which could be easily summed up as ‘don’t rape.’”

And then she points out something very important: “As a society, we are conditioned to approach rape as something the victim has to bear responsibility for. This is not the case and this stigma is something we actively have to fight in order to address the roots of sexual violence.”

She adds that there are organizations, including Grrrl Gang, willing to help Angono Police’s messaging, something that Piquero and squad is more than open to.

“We welcome all the comments, para mapaganda pa lalo ang info drive namin,” said Piquero.

Perhaps, it would do his station good to review what Chely Esguerra, an advocacy communications specialist said about another rape prevent poster from three years ago: “Drunk driving campaigns, for instance, don't say ‘be careful because there are drunk drivers’ They’re aimed at people who might get into drunk driving: Don’t drink and drive. So shouldn’t the rape prevention campaign be aimed to sex offenders?” — LA, GMA News