MANILA – Frankie Pangilinan called out broadcaster Ben Tulfo after he belittled her stand against rape and victim shaming.
The issue began after Pangilinan condemned a police station in Quezon province for telling women to stop wearing some types of clothes to avoid being the target of sex offenders.
“STOP TEACHING GIRLS HOW TO DRESS?? TEACH PEOPLE NOT TO RAPE,” Pangilinan said in a tweet.
“Breaking news: my clothing is NOT my consent,” she added.
Her posts caught Tulfo’s attention who then gave his views on how women should dress.
“Hija, a rapist or a juvenile sex offender's desire to commit a crime will always be there. All they need is an opportunity, when to commit the crime. Sexy ladies, careful with the way you dress up! You are inviting the beast,” Tulfo said.
But Pangilinan was having none of it.
Sharing Tulfo’s reply to her, Pangilinan emphasized that “rape culture is real and a product of this precise line of thinking, where the behavior is normalized, particularly by men.”
“The way anyone dresses should not be deemed as ‘opportunity’ to sexually assault them. Ever,” she said, adding that calling her “hija” will not belittle her point.
As of writing, Pangilinan has changed her Twitter name to “hija” while Tulfo and the hashtag “HijaAko” are currently trending on Twitter Philippines.
Pangilinan is the eldest daughter of Senator Francis Pangilinan and Sharon Cuneta.