Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte slammed over kiss | News | DW | 04.06.2018

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Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte slammed over kiss

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte kissed a Philippine worker on stage "just for fun." The move has prompted criticism from activists who say the president abused his power.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte kisses a Filipino worker on stage in Seoul, South Korea (picture-alliance/AP Photo/PTV)

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has sparked outrage after he kissed a Filipino woman onstage during a visit to South Korea on Sunday.

Duterte called the woman on stage to give her a copy of a book at a town hall-style meeting with Filipino workers in Seoul.

When 73-year-old Duterte asked if she could explain to her husband that the antic was just a joke, and she said yes, the president leaned in and kissed her as the crowd of thousands erupted in cheers.

Read more: Opinion: Duterte breaks all rules

"Don't take it seriously. It's just for fun, a gimmick," Duterte later told the crowd.

The meeting was streamed live by the state-run TV network to the Philippines.

Critics have condemned the act, saying it is his latest macho antic degrading women.

  • Philippinen Rodrigo Duterte (Reuters/E. Acayan)

    Philippine strongman Rodrigo Duterte completes one year in power

    An outsider

    Rodrigo Duterte's rise in Philippine politics began in the spring of 2016. He was considered an outsider in the presidential election but he gradually gained popularity due to a radical election campaign that promised to free the Philippines from drugs and corruption.

  • Philippinen Wahlen Unterstützer von Rodrigo Digong Duterte Ausschnitt (Reuters/E. De Castro/Detail)

    Philippine strongman Rodrigo Duterte completes one year in power

    Landslide victory

    On May 9, 2016, Duterte was elected to the presidency with almost 40 percent of the total votes and a big lead over other candidates. As mayor of Davao, he had transformed the southern city from a mafia-run place into an economically prosperous area. However, human rights activists accuse him of using death squads and brutal force to achieve this goal.

  • Kombobild Obama Duterte (picture-alliance/dpa/N. Shrestha/M. Irham)

    Philippine strongman Rodrigo Duterte completes one year in power

    A short-tempered president

    Duterte is known for his sort temper. After coming to power, he threatened to break ties with the EU, the US and Australia. He also publicly insulted foreign leaders like Barack Obama because the former US president labeled Duterte's drug war as inhuman. Duterte also announced that his government would scale down dependence on the US and get closer to China and Russia.

  • Die Philippinen gegen China vor dem Ständigen Schiedshof in Den Haag (Permanent Court of Arbitration)

    Philippine strongman Rodrigo Duterte completes one year in power

    A victory over China

    In July 2016, the Philippines won a lawsuit against China at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague that rejected Beijing's territorial claims on the South China Sea. China refused to accept the court's ruling. Manila nevertheless celebrated it as a victory but remained cautious in its approach toward China due to its economic interests with Beijing.

  • Philippinen Anhörung im Senat Leila de Lima Senatorin (Reuters/E. De Castro)

    Philippine strongman Rodrigo Duterte completes one year in power

    Drug killings

    Leila de Lima, a senator and former director of the Philippine Human Rights Commission, has emerged as Duterte's most powerful opponent during his one year in power. She is leading a senate probe into extra-judicial killings in Duterte's war on drugs.

  • Philippinen Ferdinand Marcos (picture-alliance/dpa/D.M. Sabangan)

    Philippine strongman Rodrigo Duterte completes one year in power

    Honoring a 'dictator'

    One of Duterte's most controversial decisions during his one year in power was to allow the former dictator Ferdinand Marcos' body to be buried in Manila. Marcos had been denied this honor due to massive human rights violations during his reign. Human rights activists and church representatives held demonstrations against Marcos' "hero's burial."

  • Philippinen Militärrazzia (Getty Images/AFP/T. Aljibe)

    Philippine strongman Rodrigo Duterte completes one year in power

    Fighting 'Islamic State'

    In May, militant groups affiliated with the self-styled "Islamic State" (IS) group took control of the southern city of Marawi. Duterte declared Martial Law in Mindanao province and his forces have been trying to recapture the city for weeks. More than 200 people have been killed in the fighting and thousands have fled the town.

    Author: Thomas Latschan (shs)


'Despicable display of sexism'

Activists labelled the move as "disgusting" and one senator called the act "a despicable display of sexism and grave abuse of authority."

"President Duterte acted like a feudal king who thinks that being the president is an entitlement to do anything that he pleases," said Senator Risa Hontiveros, who asked the public not to judge the woman.

"Even if the act was consensual, it was the president, possessed of awesome, even intimidating, power, who initiated it," Hontiveros continued.

Read more: Will divorce finally be legalized in Philippines?

The state-run Philippine News Agency identified the woman as Bea Kim and posted a short video interview with her on its Facebook page.

"There wasn't malice in it," Kim said in the video. "For me, for him, it didn't mean anything."

A history of sexism

Duterte has made a number of derogatory comments about women in the past, including rape jokes and calling for women guerrillas to be shot in the genitals.

Read more: EU-Philippines economic cooperation — what about rights violations?

He has also publicly kissed women in the past, included at rallies during his campaign for the presidency.

Women's rights advocates in the Philippines have launched an online #BabaeAko (I Am A Woman) campaign to object to Duterte's "sexist" statements.

"You don't have to kiss that woman if you want to entertain people," said Joms Salvador, secretary-general of Gabriela Women's Party.

"The fact that you thought that kissing the woman would entertain people ... that's something really sick," she added.

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