Don’t take President’s statement literally, Palace says on Duterte’s ‘shoot in vagina’ remark

Malacañang on Tuesday shrugged off criticism over President Rodrigo Duterte's remark last week for government troops to shoot female communist rebels in the vagina, saying the public should have already been familiar with the firebrand leader's rhetoric.

Gabriela party-list Representative Emmi De Jesus earlier said Duterte's statement openly encourages violence against women and contributes to impunity for abusers.

"Alam niyo po matapos ang isang taon at kalahati dapat kilala na natin ang Presidente. Paulit-ulit ko sinasabi: 'Do not take the President literally but take him seriously,'" presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said at a press briefing in Tabuk City, Kalinga.

"Ang mensahe ng Presidente dahil wala na nga pong pagkakataon na magkaroon ng peace talks dahil puro katraydoran ang ipinakita ng CPP-NPA [Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army] ay asahan niyo po na tayo po ay papasok sa digmaan sa NPA at tayo po ay magwawagi," he added.

Roque added that if the President violates the rights of women he should not have imposed a total deployment ban to Kuwait in response to cases of abuse of Filipina household service workers.

"'Yung kanyang order na itigil na 'yan maski tayo mawawalan ng kita, iyan po ay isang paghihiwatig at pruweba na inuuna ng ating Presidente ang interes hindi lamang ng mga Pilipino kundi ng ating mga kababaihan. Hindi dapat binabastos, hindi dapat inaapi. Dapat po ginagalang," he said.

An estimated 250,000 Filipinos work in Kuwait, 75 percent of which are domestic helpers. Some 300 Filipinos apply for work in Kuwait every day.

Many Filipino workers in Kuwait have complained of being treated badly, receiving no salary and other forms of abuse. —KG, GMA News