Philippines President Duterte Drops Rape Joke to Troops as He Implements Martial Law

Rodrigo Duterte‘s infamously vulgar speech descended into the abyss on Friday. The president of the Philippines made a joke about sexual assault during a speech to troops at a base on the island of Mindanao, where he declared martial law on Tuesday.

“For this martial law and the consequences of martial law and the ramifications of martial law, I and I alone would be responsible. Just do your work. I will handle the rest,” Duterte said, according to a Friday report from Channel NewsAsia. He added, “I will be imprisoned for you. If you rape three (women), I will say that I did it.”

This isn’t the first time that the Filipino leader has made a rape joke. During his 2016 presidential campaign, Duterte referenced the 1989 sexual assault and murder of an Australian national in his home town of Davao City and cracked, “I was angry because she was raped, that’s one thing. But she was so beautiful, the mayor should have been first. What a waste.”

The “mayor” was a reference to himself, as he was mayor of Davao City before becoming president. Duterte later apologized for the remarks: “I apologize to the Filipino people for my recent remarks in a rally. There was no intention of disrespecting our women and those who have been victims of this horrible crime.”

The Filipino president has received international criticism for his handling of a war against drugs in his country. However, President Donald Trump reportedly praised the leader on the issue.

[image via screengrab]