Women in Duterte’s world
Spotted on Facebook is a photo of President Duterte seated onstage at what appears to be an out-of-town assembly with some government officials. Among them is Agriculture Undersecretary Berna Romulo Puyat seated beside the President. In the photo, Romulo-Puyat appears uneasy, leaning her body away from the guest of honor who is holding her hand.
The photo has garnered a number of comments mainly because it appears to be showing the highest official of the land trying to grope Romulo-Puyat, who is a widow and belongs to a politically prominent family. In public remarks, Mr. Duterte has himself mentioned Romulo-Puyat’s good looks and how he is attracted to her.
Romulo-Puyat has yet to issue any public reaction to either the incident depicted in the photo or the observations of people who have seen it. A picture may say a thousand words, but barring direct testimony from any of the persons in it, everything else is speculation.
Maybe we’re reading too much into the situation. The hand-holding and attempted groping may have lasted but a few seconds. The undersecretary’s facial expression may have been but a fleeting reaction.
But what’s interesting is that so many people readily bought into the implications of lasciviousness on the part of the chief executive. It was a public occasion, on record, with plenty of cameras, including ubiquitous cell phones, on hand. Still, Mr. Duterte apparently saw nothing wrong or unseemly with holding the hand of another government official on stage. I’m inclined to believe that our “Great Leader” is so indifferent to social and ethical limits that he routinely crosses the line, oblivious to how it could be interpreted.
Of course, this isn’t the first time Mr. Duterte’s behavior towards women has been scrutinized and criticized.
Vice President Leni Robredo has been on the receiving end of his unsavory remarks—including comments on how her bare knees “distract” him during Cabinet meetings—so much so that she has had to be “distanced” from him in public events. The latest incident was the graduation rites of Class 2017 of the Philippine Military Academy, where Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana had to act as a buffer between the two highest officials of the land.
During the campaign, photos showing then presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte fondling and kissing women—women he apparently did not personally know—went viral. Some of them appeared to be enjoying their few seconds with the amorous candidate, while others were visibly annoyed, shocked or offended by his behavior. And yet crowds at his rallies and sorties applauded and even cheered him on, reflecting the popular view of women’s role in our society.
And, of course, who could forget his off-the-cuff remarks that he should have been first in line when a “beautiful” female Australian missionary was gang-raped while she was being held hostage during a prison riot in Davao. It seemed to matter little that the missionary was later killed, and Mr. Duterte’s crass remarks later led to diplomatic flaps with the ambassadors of Australia and the United States.
Shortly after the photo with Romulo-Puyat came out, another photo surfaced showing Mr. Duterte holding hands with a much younger woman who appeared distinctly uncomfortable in the midst of other people.
The one who posted the photo made clear that nobody as yet knew whether the photo was taken when Mr. Duterte was already president or showed an incident that took place years ago. The girl’s identity was also unknown.
But it certainly shows that Mr. Duterte’s propensity for pouncing on women who catches his fancy has been a long-time habit of his, reflective of his attitude towards womankind.
After all, if he can throw propriety and decorum to the wind to shame his own Vice President, a member of his official family, and countless anonymous women, then what’s to stop him from preying on women who challenge his authority, such as Sen. Leila de Lima? And what’s to stop him and his followers from imposing their own macho worldview on us, in words and actions, creating a world unwelcoming and uncomfortable for women?
