Sheine Nicole C. Lim | UPDATED: September 15, 2018
MANILA, Philippines- Rapists rape people, not faces nor outfits nor it is gender-, body type-, race- or age-based.
Having men constantly catcall you on your way to school, work or other institutions is outraging enough, how much more so if the most powerful authority in your country, the president himself tolerates, justifies and somehow propagates these worsening assaults, aggression and higher forms of impudence toward women hence even prompting misogyny and sexism, showing off his macho-fascist side. This kind of tolerance is the reason why there are a lot of courageous abusers who manifestly do their sickening wrongdoing to others even in broad daylight, thus giving them their much awaited and needed permission to do this. Through his choices of words and jokes, he is unconsciously making rape, a legal and normal thing to do.
During his speech on August 30 2018, he, again, made a choke joke about the existence of rape in reference to the police reports that there have been a heightened number of rape cases in Davao. He even aforementioned that, “They said there are many rape cases in Davao, as long as there are many beautiful women, there will be more rape cases.” Inciting disgust and disdain not just from women but netizens alike.
Rape is present because rapists exist and not the other way around so justifying rape will always be gibberish and ludicrous for it can never be defensible, as it is something which can be and is life-threatening and life-altering. It is not just women who experience this, but also men, children, elderly, and even newborns so no one, even the one with the highest position in the world, can claim and allege that rape is okay because it will never be.
Ever since his term, there has been a worsening number of rape cases throughout the country and it is not just scary, it is distressingly alarming. It is also unnerving that Duterte seemed unfazed by his incivilities that is uncommonly anti-women which just proved his incompetence to accept salient criticisms from exceptional women as he persistently tries so hard to disregard women’s power and aptitude in leading the country to prominence and worthy of its repute.
Words are as vital as your actions and clearly, the president’s perverse decisions not to think multiple times before opening his foul mouth may put our country at great risk. As law abiding of citizens, let us be wary in giving our outmost support to politicians who may seem powerful and ready to lead the country into its greatness but is deceitfully vicious and malevolent. He is a menace, not just to our women, and oppressed class but to all citizens of our country.
Let us always remember what Internet activist and author of Revolution 2.0, Wael Ghonim said that “the power of the people is greater than the people in power” so let us not close our sociological imagination for the sake of being safe, never be afraid to write about the truth, speak and stand up for the oppressed. Let us progress our minds into thinking that our solidarity is integral for us to achieve a desirable resolution for the common good.
“To end rape, end the system that commodifies women; to end rape, destroy the society that cradles patriarchy” (Carpio, 2018).
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