DAVAO CITY, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte lashed back at Chelsea Clinton, the daughter of former US President Bill Clinton who criticized his latest rape remark.
“When your father, the President of the United States then, was screwing Lewinsky and the girls there in the White House, how did you feel? Did you slam your father?” he said.
Duterte was referring to Monica Lewinsky, a White House Intern whose affair with her father led to the latter’s impeachment in 1999. Clinton however, was later acquitted by the House of Representatives and completed his second term in 2001.
Duterte said Chelsea was “living in a glass house” and warned that he will insult those who are “beating” him up with criticism.
Over the weekend, the younger Clinton had called Duterte “a murderous thug with no regard for human rights” on twitter.
Clinton’s remarks were in response to a remark made by Duterte during his visit to a military camp in Jolo, Sulu. Duterte said he would take the responsibility of the acts of his military and police during the martial law, even rape.
Duterte also pointed out that Americans soldiers have had their own share of rape cases in the Philippines.
“Eh kayong mga Amerikano, kayong mga press, sinong kalaban ng mga Amerikano? Wala pa namang giyera dito, matagal na. Ang kalaban ng mga Amerikano kapag nagpunta dito sa Pilipinas iyang mga p*******ang iyan, anong ginagawa? Nangre-rape.”
(To you Americans, the press, who are the enemies of the Americans here? There has been no war here for a long time… Who are the enemies of American [soldiers] here in the Philippines? What are they doing? They rape), he said.
Duterte brought up the murder case of transgender woman Jennifer Laude, who was killed by Private First Class Scot Pemberton on October 11, 2014 inside a lodge in Olongapo.
“Mga Amerikano ganoon, ilang Pilipina, iyong bakla pinatay nila … na puwede mo naman sanang sipain lang o itulak mo sa labas ng kuwarto.”
(That’s how Americans are. How many Filipinas, homosexuals have they killed, when you could have just kicked or pushed them out of the room), Duterte said,
“You didn’t have to kill the transgender,” he added.