Gabriela party urges more women advocates to denounce Duterte's 'sexist' remarks

Gabriela Women's Party on Thursday urged more women advocates to come forward and denounce the "sexist" remarks that President Rodrigo Duterte have been recently making.

The party-list, represented by Emmi De Jesus and Arlene Brosas, made the remark following the statement of the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW), who commented that sexual abuse is no laughing matter following Duterte's story about touching a maid in her private part.

"We urge more women advocates in other government agencies to reject and speak out versus Duterte macho-fascism, as his perversion goes against our collective goal to  end all forms of violence against women," the party-list said in a statement.

"We cannot be silent anymore on this blatant reversal of our efforts to educate the public on rape, sexual harassment and other forms of abuse."

On its 44th anniversary, the PCW released a statement denouncing any form of sexual abuse and called out public officials who "continue to perpetuate misogyny."

The PCW said any sexual abuse "is an abhorrent attack on a person’s self-worth and should never be used as subject matter to prove a point."

"The Commission is beyond dismayed to note that public officials, who are supposed to uphold the dignity of its citizens, especially women, promote gender equality, and be exemplars of honor and integrity, continue to perpetuate misogyny grounded on power," it said.

Gabriela Women's Party welcomed PCW's statement, saying it is a manifestation that women advocates have already had enough with the Duterte's "brazen promotion of sexual violence in public."

"Duterte should expect a stronger backlash from inside the bureaucracy should he insist on his use of rape and sexual assault as entertainment material for his audience," the party-list said.

Malacañang, in response, said those who criticized Duterte for his story were unable to discern "reality from rebuke."

"It is unfortunate that in its zeal to promote its advocacy on the protection of women's rights as well as in its obsession to put the President in a bad light, the women's rights group has lost the ability of discerning a reality from a rebuke on the hypocrisy of the priests who molested him and his classmates when they were high school students," presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in a statement.

Panelo added that Duterte will not apologize for the story and will keep telling "concocted" tales to make his point. —Erwin Colcol/KBK, GMA News