MANILA - Is Senator Grace Poe satisfied with fellow presidential candidate and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte's defense of his track record on protecting women's rights?

Poe, during the "Pares-Pares" portion of the third and last PiliPinas debate on Sunday, asked Duterte about his controversial statement on the rape-slay of an Australian missionary in 1989.

She also pressed the presidential race frontrunner about his statement in a previous interview when he said women are the weaker sex.

In response, Duterte said his turf is the only city in the Philippines with a women's code. He said he also disallowed the wearing of bikinis and swimsuits in the Mutya ng Davao and Kadayawan Queen beauty pageants in Davao.

Duterte defends track record on women's rights

The mayor also reiterated that he was not joking when he was talking about the gang rape and killing of 36-year-old Jaqueline Hamill, a missionary from Sydney, Australia.

Hamill was one of several "prayer warriors" taken hostage by Federico Pugoy and other inmates inside Davao Metrodiscom in 1989.

WATCH: Duterte jokes about raped Australian woman

Speaking to ABS-CBN News after the debate, Poe gave an indirect reaction to Duterte's answer, saying she asked the question for women voters.

Poe said respect is an important trait that a president should have.

"Ang mga babae dapat mayroong paggalang at pagkilala sa ating bayan. Ang mga babae, malaking kontribusyon sa ating lipunan. Nais nating malaman sa isang potensyal na magiging pangulo, paano magiging pagtrato sa isang babae," she said.

"Babalik ba tayo sa makaluma kung saan mawawalan ng boses ang mga kababaihan o iaangat ang estado ng mga babae sa lipunan... Importante na may advocacies tayo sa babae, pero importante din sa lahat na ang namumuno ng bansa ay may paggalang," she added.

Poe also addressed Duterte's promise to offer the post of tourism secretary or finance czar to a smart woman, saying that the potential of female leaders should not be boxed.

"Basta ako bilang babae, unlimited ang aming potential. Ang mga babae meticuloso. Totoo, mapasensya; pero, hindi umaatras sa laban kaya kahit anong ibigay mo," she said.