INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Rodrigo Duterte's critics have labelled him a misogynist and say his comments are demeaning towards womenManila:
A kiss by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on a Filipino woman's lips while on an official visit in South Korea sparked anger and jokes
on Monday, as feminists denounced what they called his "perverted way" of taunting his female critics.Many Filipinos, however, thought it
was a harmless kiss intended to be fun.The 73-year-old Duterte, whose critics have labelled him a misogynist and say his comments are
derogatory and demeaning towards women, dismissed the kiss as just a "gimmick" to entertain supporters at a meet-and-greet event in
Seoul.Social media was abuzz with photos and videos of Duterte on stage before a crowd of Filipinos on Sunday night, when he asked an
unidentified audience member to kiss him in exchange for a book he was handing out.The woman, who admitted she is married and appeared
excited to see Duterte in person, agreed.Duterte then told the cheering crowd of about 3,000: "Don't take it seriously
It's just for fun, a gimmick."State-run Philippine News Agency identified the woman as Bea Kim and posted a brief video interview with her
on its Facebook page."There wasn't malice in it," she said
"For me, for him, it didn't mean anything.Duterte's controversial remarks about women include numerous jokes about rape and have incensed
activists and foreigners, most notably, Chelsea Clinton, the daughter of former U.S
But none have dented the hugely popular leader's domestic support.Women's rights advocates in the Philippines recently launched an online
#BabaeAko (I Am A Woman) campaign to send a message that they were not taking Duterte's "sexist" statements sitting down."You don't have to
kiss that woman if you want to entertain people," said Joms Salvador, secretary-general of Gabriela Women's Party."The fact that you thought
that kissing the woman would entertain peoplethat's something really sick."Opposition Senator Risa Hontiveros said that even though the kiss
was consensual, it was a "grave abuse of authority".Anna Pinili, a churchgoer who considers herself a devout catholic, said Duterte had good
intentions, but could have handled it better."He should have kissed her on the cheeks instead," she said.Father of two Raymond Pascual said
people were making too much of a deal of it, and he thought it was just a "simple kiss".Making the rounds also on social media was a spoof
photo of the same kiss, but with the woman replaced by superimposed image of China's President Xi Jinping, in an attempt to poke fun at
Duterte's high regard for his Chinese counterpart.© Thomson Reuters 2018(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by
TheIndianSubcontinent staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
