Health workers hound Duterte over rape joke

DAGUPAN PICKET Women of Dagupan City’s day care centers picket Arellano Street to condemn a bad rape joke by presidential candidate Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte. Duterte participated in the
last presidential debate hosted by University of Pangasinan on Sunday. EV ESPIRITU/INQUIRER NORTHERN LUZON

DAGUPAN CITY—A local women’s group on Sunday hounded presidential race front-runner Rodrigo Duterte over his joke about the rape and murder of an Australian missionary in a jailhouse riot in 1989.

The women, many of whom were village health workers, occupied a stretch of Arellano Street here, which was jammed with people who wore the political colors of Duterte, Vice President Jejomar Binay, Senators Miriam Defensor-Santiago and Grace Poe and former Interior Secretary Mar Roxas.

“Abuse of women is … abuse of power,” Myra Quinto, president of the Barangay Health Workers’ Association, said, adding that rape is a heinous crime.

Quinto said the protest targeted Duterte, the trash-talking mayor of Davao City who was here for the third and final presidential debate at the University of Pangasinan (UPang).

Decent President

“I have nothing personal against him. But if we will elect a President, we should choose somebody who is decent,” Quinto said.

Cathy Gonzales, president of the Barangay Day Care Workers’ Association here, said the country’s leader should respect women’s rights.

“Rape is the most prominent case of violence against women,” she said.

Duterte has drawn widespread criticism for his rape joke, made in a campaign speech in Quezon City on April 12, that he might have wanted to be the first to rape Australian missionary Jacqueline Hamill, who was gang-raped and killed by prisoners in a jailhouse riot in Davao City in 1989.

Yellow shirts

Some of the protesting women wore yellow shirts, the campaign color of Liberal Party (LP) presidential standard-bearer Roxas.

Quinto said no one forced her to join the protest. She said some protesters wore yellow T-shirts and caps because those were given away by the Roxas campaign team.

The day care group was one of many interest groups drawn to Dagupan by the presidential debate.

Earlier on Sunday, fishermen, backed by environmental activist Greenpeace, rode motorized boats on Pantal River carrying placards that showed their problems to draw the attention of the presidential candidates.

“The next President has to include our 10-point agenda that aims to restore our waterways and our seas, and protect the fishing community, because at the heart of good governance is the protection of our environment,” said Naderev Saño, executive director of Greenpeace Southeast Asia.

Where they were

But many of the candidates were not around to notice.

Binay spent Sunday morning at St. John the Evangelist Cathedral with his children, Sen. Nancy Binay and former Makati City Mayor Junjun Binay.

Sen. Gregorio Honasan, Binay’s vice presidential running mate, was seen in a church here, after he canceled a news conference.

Poe had meetings in nearby Calasiao town before riding to the city.

Many of the city’s hotels were full because of the debate, which drew over a hundred journalists and supporters of the candidates.

The candidates also reserved space in restaurants for their campaign volunteers.

Fiesta atmosphere

Arellano Street, across from the UPang campus, was festive. Some supporters of the presidential candidates held concerts while others set up food and merchandise stalls on the roadside.

Kier Carbonell and his crew sold T-shirts with pictures of Duterte.  Carbonell said part of the proceeds would go to a foundation that cared for ailing children.

At a corner, Duterte’s cardboard standee drew people, including members of the parties of Duterte’s rivals, who wanted selfies with the front-runner’s image. With reports from EV Espiritu, Richard Balonglong and Willie Lomibao, Inquirer Northern Luzon

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