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How I sexually assaulted our maid, Philippine president confesses

Published

6 years ago

January 2, 2019

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has confessed to sexually abusing a maid while he was a teenager , according to a report .In a speech on December 29 , Duterte said that he had confessed to a priest going into a maid ’ s room while she slept and placing his fingers on her genitals , TIME magazine reports , quoting the BBC .

The remarks were not unusual for Duterte , who has frequently come under fire for making statements that demean or encourage violence against women .

Last June and July, women ’ s rights activists gathered in Manila to protest Duterte ’ s treatment of women , including his remarks that communist rebels should be “ shot in the vagina . ”

The new remarks stand out , however , because Duterte admitted to sexually assaulting a woman himself .

Duterte said that when he was a teenager , he walked into the maid ’ s room while she was asleep .

“ I lifted the blanket… I tried to touch what was inside the panty , ” he said , according to the BBC . “ I was touching . She woke up so I left the room . ”

He later came back into the maid ’ s room and fondled her genitals again, the BBC said .

Duterte said that after hearing the confession , the priest said , “ Say five Our Fathers , five Hail Marys , because you will go to hell . ”

Duterte , a frequent critic of the Catholic Church , then turned the conversation to accusations about sexual abuse by Catholic priests, according to Rappler .

Gabriela Women ’ s Party, a political party that represents women ’ s rights groups , said that Duterte is “ unworthy of his position and should resign , ” according to the BBC .