The Oxford Dictionary is plain, clear and unequivocal. Misogyny is the dislike of, contempt for, or ingrained prejudice against women. President Rodrigo Duterte has been called a misogynist. Is he? And how will such thinking affect the way he runs this country?
His latest pronouncement at an event in Davao City on Thursday does not come as a surprise.
“I believe in women, the competence and capability. But not all in life. It should be the case. It’s not appropriate when you cannot stand threats and intimidation,” he said.
The provocative statement easily caught fire on social media. Many assailed the President again for his apparent low regard of women. This comes soon after he said he did not want another woman as Ombudsman, and after tagging the former chief justice, ousted by the Supreme Court on quo warranto petition, an enemy.
Since he took power in mid-2016, Mr. Duterte has also sent a female senator to jail and fired his vice president from her Cabinet post.
And who can forget his statement about wanting to be the first in line to rape an Australian missionary? Or his words to soldiers telling them they can rape the women at the height of martial law?
Some will argue that the President is a product of his own time, background and upbringing, and that he was voted into office the way he was. It is unrealistic then to expect him to change this late in the day.
Some will say he does not really mean what he says, because look—did he not pass ordinances protecting women when he was still a local executive?
Perhaps, too, the President interprets reactions to his inflammatory words as being threatened and intimidated, when the only alternative is to just be quiet and accept the status quo, which is unacceptable to many.
Whether he deserves the label or not, the reality is that Mr. Duterte will be our leader for four more years. He was democratically elected and there is nothing we can do about it. We will reap the benefits of his good decisions while also suffering his habits, prejudices and the consequences of his unenlightened moves.
Being a woman in this administration is a challenge, but it does not mean the only two recourses are total submission or total rejection. Every day we hope that the President overcomes his biases and thinks progressively.
