Women Are Not Laughing, Condemn President’s Sexual Harassment of Domestic Worker

The World March of Women – Pilipinas stated that with a new record high single-day tally of more than 10,000 new COVID-19 cases reached yesterday as we return to ECQ status in NCR plus, reminiscent of the lockdown enforced in March 2020, owing to lack of an effective and cohesive response strategy and delayed purchase of vaccines, all the president has to offer is another ‘joke’.

“Sexual harassment is never a joke,” said Jean Enriquez, coordinator of WMW-Pilipinas and Executive Director of the

Coalition Against Trafficking In Women – Asia Pacific (CATW-AP). It is a crime under Republic Act 11313 which prohibits and penalizes gender-based harassment in all spaces.

Spokesperson Harry Roque says there was no malice—that if there is anyone who should complain it should be the “house help.” “Mr. Roque is a lawyer but he seems to have already forgotten the rule of law,” according to WMW-Pilipinas. Laws on all forms of gender-based violence recognizes power imbalance wherein consent may be vitiated by the perpetrator’s authority, influence and position of ascendancy, according to Enriquez. “The Supreme court has haffirmed the dismissal of public officials for acts of sexual harassment,” she added. Citing, Rayala vs. Domingo, GR No. 169449, Enriquez mentioned that “It is incumbent upon the head of office to set an example on how his employees should conduct themselves in public office so that they may work efficiently in a healthy working atmorsphere. Courtesy demands that he should set a good example.”

According to Novelita Palisoc, President of the United Domestic Workers of the Philippines (UNITED) – Sentro ng Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa (SENTRO), “Duterte`s act of lewdness toward his domestic worker has violated the Kasambahay Act, Rule IV Section 11.” The said section of the law states that, “the kasambahay shall be treated with respect by the employee or any member of the household. She/he shall not be subjected to any kind of abuse, including repeated verbal or psychological, nor be inflicted with any form of physical violence or harassment or any act tending to degrade her/his dignity.”

For UNITED, “domestic workers are not sexual objects, President Duterte’s act degraded us.” “We should not treat sexual harassment as a joke, as it only worsens the situation of domestic workers because many of us are experiencing gender-based violence outside or inside the households,” Palisoc added.

“Time and again, we have deplored the President for degrading women in the way he speaks and acts,” according to

Judy Ann Chan-Miranda, Secretary-General of Partido Manggagawa. “This is another similar incident that we cannot just disregard just because Mr. Roque wants everyone to do so,” she added. According to Miranda, this makes the President’s call to “Empower Filipinas” last March 5 a huge farce.

Miranda said that the the president’s spokesperson can cover the latest deplorable act of Mr. Duterte all he wants, but whatever he says will not make it right. “He and the president may believe that their positions of power make it alright for them to violate the law, but this does not take away their culpability,” added Miranda. “Leaders and public officials have to be made accountable,” she added.

According to Miranda, “If these were what this presidency has to offer—to make fun of the virus and the Filipino people to the point of negligence leading to more illness and deaths, to make a photo-op out of his birthday celebration while millions will not be able to go to work again and are without support, to be negligent of obligations that can lead to the purchase of vaccines, to harass, abuse, and red-tag people—then we are certainly not laughing.” “This president does not deserve to lead us,” said Miranda.