NEW DELHI – Seventy-two virgins as reward in the afterlife may be enticing to Islamic State (IS) militants, but not to President Duterte, who joked about wanting to have them in this life – and possibly even as a come-on to investors.
The joke – apparently intended to mock the militants’ “corrupt ideology” – was delivered before a gathering here of businessmen and potential Philippine investors yesterday.
“The come-on is that if you die a martyr, you go to heaven with 42 virgins waiting for you,” Duterte said.
“Well, if I could just make it a come-on also for those who would like to go to my country,” he added. Duterte’s punch line drew laughter from some in the audience.
“I’d like to have the virgins here, not in heaven. God may not allow it,” he added. It was not the first time Duterte made controversial comments about women.
Before assuming the presidency, Duterte drew flak for his comment about the rape and murder of an Australian missionary in Davao City in 1989. Duterte was mayor of the southern city for more than two decades.
In a speech delivered before his supporters, Duterte remarked that the slain missionary looked like an actress and as mayor “he should have been first.” He later claimed that he was just expressing his anger over the crime.
Last year, Duterte stirred controversy for saying that if a soldier rapes three women, he would answer for it.
The remark, intended apparently to boost morale of soldiers enforcing his martial law declaration in Mindanao, was criticized for supposedly trivializing sexual abuse.
Duterte later on said he was just emphasizing the fact that he was responsible for the deeds of soldiers as commander-in-chief of the armed forces.
Also last year, Duterte said he would congratulate anyone who rapes a Miss Universe titlist for “having the balls” in the face of a potentially deadly retribution.
Palace officials dismissed the remark as a “sarcastic statement” that conveys a serious message to criminals.
Despite cracking what others would regard as a sexist joke, Duterte said he wants to make sure that everyone – especially women – would be safe from criminals.
“Ask your wife and daughter, your beautiful daughter to take a walk all over the city tonight. And if she comes home and your wife unmolested, undisturbed, no disturbance at all, then that is the standard I want for every woman and child in a city,” Duterte said.
“Those who violate that, I’m sorry. And also, in the movie houses, allow your daughter and wife to use it for anything. And if they go out of that washroom satisfied with the hygiene and the sanitation, that is the standard I want to impose upon you,” he added.
Duterte’s mocking IS followed the release of a report by Indian news website ThePrint that the militants were targeting President Duterte here.
The President was unfazed by the supposed threat to his life, according to Malacañang.
ThePrint reported that Duterte’s attendance in the Republic Day celebration was “giving security agencies sleepless nights.”
The Philippine leader was supposedly “on the radar” of IS because of his vicious response to terror attacks in Mindanao specifically the siege of the Islamic city of Marawi by militants belonging mostly to the Maute group and the Abu Sayyaf.
The five-month battle to retake Marawi led to killing of key militants including Isnilon Hapilon, said to be the anointed emir of an envisioned caliphate in Southeast Asia.
Citing unnamed security sources, ThePrint, said IS had mobilized sleeper cells based in Indonesia and were “planning a strike.”
Indonesian President Joko Widodo was also a possible target, the news website added.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said Duterte was not disturbed by the supposed threat and remains determined to defeat terrorism.
“(President Duterte) will not cower to threats from ISIS nor any other terrorist groups,” Roque said.
“He has pledged to serve the Filipino people and has left the issue of his mortality to the creator. He is unmoved by this latest threat and will be unrelenting in his fight against violent extremism,” he added.
Roque said the Presidential Security Group and Indian authorities have implemented precautionary measures to ensure the safety of the President.
“We will all be there for and with him,” the spokesman said.
Nine other Southeast Asian leaders witnessed the Republic Day grand parade.
After the parade, the President went to the Oberoi Hotel to witness the presentation of business agreements signed during his visit.
During his bilateral meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi last Wednesday here, Duterte cited the need for members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to enhance their cooperation against terrorism.
He said terrorists funded by illegal drug rings and pirates pose threat to Southeast Asia and the Indo-Pacific region.