Duterte's controversial statement about rape

On May 27, the Philippine president once again caused controversy when he affirmed that he would take responsibility for soldiers facing the risk of being convicted of rape in order to reassure them.

"I will always be with you. For the martial law situation and its consequences, I alone will be responsible, you just need to do your job. Even if you have raped three women, I will be responsible," NBC quoted the Philippine president.

During a reassuring talk with Philippine soldiers, Mr. Duterte affirmed that he will continue to fight against the Maute Islamic terrorist group in the south of the country.

This is not the first time Mr. Duterte has made controversial statements about rape. Photo: Reuters.

This is not the first time the Philippine leader has made controversial statements about rape. In 2016, during his presidential campaign, he joked about the rape of an Australian missionary 27 years ago.

In early 2017, he said he had killed several criminals while he was mayor of Davao to serve as an example for police in the Philippines' anti-drug campaign.

The Southeast Asian country has been going through dark days as violence erupted in Marawi City on Mindanao Island since May 22, after the Maute Islamic militant group attacked security forces and declared control of the city. Maute pledged allegiance to IS in 2015.

President Duterte has declared martial law in Mindanao and said it could be extended for a year if necessary. He said he was considering similar measures in the Visayas region near Mindanao.

The Philippine military is carrying out a special operation to destroy the Maute Islamic extremist group in the south, killing 44 people, including 31 rebels, 11 soldiers and 2 policemen.

According to Zing