IS it 2016 yet?
Oh, it is? So why does it feel like we’re back in the Middle Ages when women were treated like mere possessions, and men could do whatever they pleased with us? The time when men subjected us to all sorts of indignities and disrespect—just because, well, “babae lang naman ’yan [they’re only women]”? The recent statements of one presidential candidate on rape and his womanizing ways have indeed brought back those ancient times. He even talks about his simultaneous affairs with numerous women like these were as natural as taking a bath and brushing one’s teeth in the morning.
He openly admires women, with his tongue hanging out, like some lecherous dom uncle, ready to prey on an unsuspecting niece.
(The candidate also seems to have an unhealthy attitude toward the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender [LGBT] community, calling out a fellow presidential candidate bayot, thus, insinuating that homosexuals don’t have a right to become political leaders. He equates weakness with being gay. Unbelievable.)
For the most part, many voters, especially women and LGBTQs, have let his statements pass without rancor, chalking these up to just politics. But finally, the candidate overstepped the boundaries of decency. Just last week, at a gathering of his supporters in Quezon City, this is what said: “Ni-rape nila lahat ng mga babae so ’yung unang asolte, kasi nag-retreat sila, naiwan ’yung ginawa nilang cover, ang isa doon ’yung lay minister na Australyana. Tsk, problema na ito,” the candidate said. “’Pag labas, eh ’di binalot. Tiningnan ko ’yung mukha, ’t—— parang artista sa America na maganda. P——–, sayang ito. Ang nagpasok sa isip ko, ni-rape nila, pinagpilahan nila doon. Nagalit ako kasi ni-rape, oo isa rin ’yun . Pero napakaganda, dapat ang mayor muna ang mauna. Sayang.” (From the YouTube video posted by Beatboxer ng Pinas)
He was talking about the Australian missionary Jaqueline Hamill, who served the Lord while sharing the Good News with prison inmates. She was caught in a prison riot in 1989, and gang raped.
Disgusting. That men can actually think of sex after seeing a dead woman’s body, already gang-raped and with her throat slit. Necrophilia much? That the people around him even laughed at this remark was even more abominable! Is there no decency left in this world? These jokes or crude statements no longer belong in the present, when women (and gays) have earned their due respect as chief executives of private companies, wives and mothers, as well as leaders who have contributed to nation-building and have been recognized internationally for their efforts.
That he is 70 years old and is a product of an era when male machismo reigned supreme is not an excuse. My own father passed away at 80, with his mental faculties intact, and I never heard him utter a disparaging remark against women in his lifetime. Age should give one wisdom, not an incontinent mouth. The candidate then proceeds to excuse his vulgarity as “gutter talk”, using his impoverished childhood as an excuse. My own mother, who was a social worker, always told us that even among the poor, there are many who lived with dignity and respect for others. You cannot use one’s poverty as an excuse for disgusting, abhorrent behavior. And I’ve met many people from the dregs of society, living in squatters areas, who could give the mayor a good moral and right conduct lesson or two.
So his ardent supporters—or should I say, fanatics—perform all sorts of mental gymnastics just to defend their candidate. “It was a joke,” they claim. Or “he didn’t mean it.” (For the record, the candidate already said it wasn’t a joke and he wasn’t going to apologize for it.) It reminds me of how this underwhelming gay comedian cracked a joke about gang-raping a plus-sized news anchor from a rival network, after mercilessly ridiculing her weight. His own boss, a woman, at his home network was shown laughing at these jokes. Sick.
But what this presidential candidate and his supporters fail to realize that words have power, especially coming from a politician that many look up to. In this 21st-century world we live in, no one thinks that rape is a joke. And anyone who cracks rape jokes should expect to be pilloried.
It is offensive language that promotes the thinking that rape isn’t a serious offense. That it is trivial and shouldn’t bother anyone. That men can have their way with women, especially if “mauna muna ang mayor.” And so, unsurprisingly, after his own daughter confesses to having been raped, the candidate dismisses it, calling her “a drama queen.” What kind of father would not believe his own daughter who had been through a terrible experience that violated not just her body but her soul?
And even if it were a joke, rape is not a subject matter to be poken fun at. Just read these figures from a special report by GMA News published in August 2014 (“Rape in the Philippines: Numbers reveal disturbing trend”):
- There were 7,409 rapes recorded by the Philippine National Police (PNP) in 2013—“or one every 72 minutes.”
- From 1999 to 2013, almost 76 percent of total rape cases reported to the PNP involved children.
- In 2013 “nearly half of the child rape cases” handled by the Department of Social Welfare and Development “involved children younger than 14 years old.”
- In the Davao region, which this vulgar presidential candidate lords over, 424 rape cases were recorded in 2013, coming in sixth place among regions with the highest number of rape cases.
In that same piece, the Center for Women’s Resources (CWR) points out that there are many rape cases that have gone unreported. “Maraming nagkukwento, tapos kung minsan nga in the third person—ng kapitbahay naming…may kaibigan ako…. ’Pag tinanong mo, nasabi nyo po ba ’to sa barangay o pulis? ‘Hindi’. Kasi nga natatakot, o iniisip nila na nakakahiya. Kaya sa ganun pa lang, sa marami na naming nakakausap, ibig sabihin marami pa ring hindi pumupunta,” CWR Executive Director Jojo Guan said.
Let’s not beat around the bush. What this candidate did was despicable—and it was wrong. The entire world has said so, with headlines in international papers, as well as foreign diplomats deploring his remarks. We women stress it as much. There is no room for so-called leaders, of presidential caliber at that, to make jokes about rape, or issue statements that demean women and the LGBTQ community. Enough is enough! A president is someone who has the power to change the lives of his countrymen, and improve the country, as it stands hand in hand with other nations in a global community. He should be a role model for the citizenry and the youth. He needs to project values that are in tune with the modern world, but keeping with traditions that reiterate our unique Filipino heritage.
But how can this candidate improve our lot, when he cannot even discipline himself to become a better, morally upright leader truly worth emulating?
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I was shocked to hear of Milen de Quiros’ passing. She was one of the first PRs I met when I started my career in journalism, and became a very good friend. My deepest condolences to her family. Tita Milen, I love you and will miss you terribly.
1 comment
Very well said and I hope very well read and heard. There’s not enough words to reverse the sentiments of those for Duterte. I can only blame PNoy for this outcome. His weaknesses were pointed out much early in his term but he didn’t heed the call. It takes a man of reason to vote for PNoy’s anointed one and there are not many.