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Filipino women slam ‘sexist’ Duterte after he says presidency is not for women
- ‘The emotional set-up of a woman and a man is totally different’, president says in reference to a possible presidential run by his daughter
- It was the latest in a string of misogynistic remarks Duterte has made dating back to his days as Davao City mayor
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Filipino women on Friday reacted scornfully to President Rodrigo Duterte’s statement that the country’s top leadership role was “not for women” because they were emotionally different than men, deriding the 75-year-old for ignoring the contributions of women leaders and furthering the already-prevalent sexism in the country.
Etta Rosales, chair emeritus of Akbayan Partylist, a moderate left-wing group of opposition lawmakers, led the tide of criticism, saying in a statement, “The presidency is for men? Which cave does this mister Rodrigo Duterte live in?”
“The presidency is a job for those who can effectively lead with respect for human rights, justice and democracy,” she said. “It is not a job for mass-murdering tyrants, misogynists, sycophants, and incorrigible, lazy, and incompetent leaders.”
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Senator Risa Hontiveros, another Akbayan member, put out her own statement saying, “Filipino women have endured and overcome more than this presidency, and we will help take it back for a more worthy administration.”
Jean Encinas-Franco, a political-science professor at the University of the Philippines told This Week in Asia that Duterte’s comments were in line with previous misogynistic remarks he had made that showed he “hates women”.
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