THE Commission on Human Rights on Sunday slammed President Rodrigo Duterte for his second rape joke and the human rights situation in Marawi City.
“Rape is never a joke,” CHR spokeswoman Jacqueline Ann de Guia said.
“Women, especially the poor and vulnerable who bear the brunt of the ongoing violence on the ground, are not objects of ridicule either.
“©”©“It is in this context that the CHR condemns the President’s recent remarks before the troops in Iligan City assuring his protection of any soldier who might commit rape during martial law in Mindanao.”
Senator Antonio Trillanes IV also criticized Duterte for his speech to the soldiers during the 2nd Mechanized Infantry Brigade of the Philippine Army in Iligan City.
“You can see from there that Duterte is crazy,” Trillanes, one of the President’s top critics, told DZBB radio.
He said ordinary people including street bums do not joke about rape.
“You must be a maniac to think like that,” Trillanes said and rejected those defending Duterte and claiming that what he said was a joke.
“First of all, you are the President of the Philippines, you are the commander-in-chief and you are talking to the soldiers.”
De Guia called on the police and the military to defend the rights and dignity of all people in all circumstances.
“We encourage their faithful adherence to the recent guidelines set by the Department of National Defense and PNP asserting the rule of law and the primacy of human rights, especially during the rule of martial law,” De Guia said.
Duterte came under fire after imposing martial law in Mindanao and saying soldiers were allowed to rape up to three women.
De Guia said the CHR would continue to monitor the human rights situation in Mindanao through its regional offices “as we stand by the protection and promotion of human rights of both civilians and our troops.”
“We express our sympathies to the families and friends who have lost loved ones in the ongoing crossfires. And, in the end, as we work toward the immediate resolution of this conflict, may we all unite in preventing further victimization of the vulnerable and marginalized.”