MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte this week mocked a mayor for once posing for sexy photos when he was an actor. But does the Chief Executive have moral ascendancy to hurl these tirades when he has drawn criticism for his lewd behavior, including allegedly sexually abusing his maid?

Duterte — who has made sexist remarks and rape jokes — said in 2018 that as a teenager, he "tried to touch what was inside the panties" of a maid, who was sleeping.

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Asked what gave Duterte ascendancy to call out a mayor for alleged indecency when he himself had displayed lewd behavior, his spokesman Harry Roque said, “Ewan ko po, pero wala pong mga ganoong larawan ang Presidente. Let’s leave it at that.”

(I do not know, but the President has no pictures like that.)

“The President never posed for pictures like those, and let’s leave it at that,” he said in a press briefing.

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Duterte on Monday night said Filipinos should not fall for politicians who resort to "drama."

"Nakita ko nga sa Facebook kanina, lahat nang naka-bikini ang g*** tapos may isang picture pa doon na sinisilip niya 'yung ari niya," he said in a late night speech.

"Iyan ang gusto ninyo? Ang training parang para lang, parang call boy."

The President said in the same speech that he would strip a certain local government of the power to distribute cash aid because of its disorderly vaccination system.

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While Duterte did not name anyone, some believe he was referring to Manila Mayor Isko Moreno, a former actor who had sexy roles.

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Manila and several other areas last week suffered chaos after thousands flocked to vaccination sites, some of them wrongly believing that they would be barred from going out or getting cash aid without anti-coronavirus jabs.

The Palace has denied that the inoculation mess could be blamed on Duterte, who on July 28 said barangay officials should bar unvaccinated people from leaving their homes.

DOUBLE STANDARD?

Video courtesy of PTV

While the President has scored the unnamed mayor for sexy photos, he has also appointed Mocha Uson, a former sexy dancer to the government.

Did Duterte show double standard in this?

“Si Mocha Uson, na-appoint po ‘yan. Pero hindi ko naman po alam kung ano talagang nakaraan ni Mocha Uson, sa totoo lang po,” said Roque.

(Mocha Uson was appointed, but I do not know her past, in truth.)

“The President gave her a second chance, and I think she took advantage of the second chance,” added the Palace spokesman.

As for the mayor, Roque said, “Iyong konteksto po ng sinasabi ni Presidente kagabi, ang narinig ko lang naman po is, ‘Ito ba ang gusto n’yo?”

“It’s a question, it’s a pending question to the sambayanan.”

(The context of what the President said last night, all I heard was, 'Is this what you want?' It’s a question, it’s a pending question to the nation.)

Moreno has tied in second place with 2 other potential candidates for president in a pre-election survey that Pulse Asia released in July. President Rodrigo Duterte's daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, topped the poll.

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