Rodrigo Duterte defends himself for kissing married woman

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‍Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said Tuesday that he would resign if there were enough protesters calling for it, after he kissed a married woman onstage in Seoul.

Duterte gave a speech to Pilipino community in the Republic of Korea (ROK) on Sunday. The 73-year-old grandfather said he would give one of the audiences the book Altar of Secrets: Sex, Politics and Money in the Philippine Catholic Church, in exchange for a kiss.

Then he called Bea Kim onto the platform and pointed to his lips, after another woman kissed him on the cheek.

“We enjoyed it. It was a showbiz [thing] and everybody enjoyed it,” said Duterte when he was back in Manila. “I do not do it in public if there is malice.”

Kim also defended the president, saying that there was indeed “no malice” in the act.

Duterte applauds next to gong at the Philippines Food Festival at an E-mart Inc. store in Seoul on Tuesday. ROK has committed 1 billion US dollars in financial assistance to the Philippines until the end of Duterte‘s term in 2022. /VCG Photo

However, it prompted a barrage of criticism online, with some feminists calling it “sexually assaultive” and “disgusting.”

In response to the backlash, Duterte promised to step down if complaints mounted. “Well, I think if all women here would sign a petition for me to resign, I will resign.”

He claimed that kissing women on the lips was his style, especially during the 22 years when he was the mayor of Davao City in southern Philippines. “The problem is you don’t know me,” Duterte said.

Duterte, his common-law wife Honeylet Avancena (R) and their daughter Veronica, pose for a photograph during a Christmas party at Malacanang Palace in Manila on December 20, 2016. /VCG Photo

The president has been controversial over his remarks about women since he was elected in 2016, regarding rape jokes, boasting about adultery and shaming female critics.

But the denunciation hasn’t dented his support. Duterte enjoys an 80 percent approval rating at home, according to a survey published last December by the Philippine polling body Pulse Asia, making him the most popular president of the country in the past 20 years.

Duterte has been notably hailed for his firm stance on crime, after leading a crackdown on drug users and traffickers in the Philippines.