Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte blames ‘beautiful women’ for rape cases

The president of the Philippines doesn’t exactly have a reputation for biting his tongue. Rodrigo Duterte rose to power even as he spewed crude comments in public speeches and then, as president, launched a crackdown on drug use that has left thousands of people dead.

And in a speech on Thursday, Duterte made a joke about rape in an apparent reference to a recent police report that said his hometown of Davao, where he once served as mayor, has recorded significant instances of sexual violence.

“They said there are many rape cases in Davao,” Duterte said. “As long as there are many beautiful women, there will be more rape cases.”

The president continued by asking rhetorically, “Who agrees to do it on the first request anyway? Will the woman allow it? No. ‘Don’t, no, ahhh.’ Nobody agrees to do it on the first try,” according to Rappler, a Philippines-based news website. “Nobody agrees to do it on the first try. That is rape.”

Women’s groups condemned the remark and his spokesman was quoted in The New York Times as saying, “I don’t think we should give too much weight on what the president says by way of a joke.”

“They’re not OK with rape jokes,” he said. “But let’s just say that perhaps the standard of what is offensive and what it not offensive is more liberal in the south.”