Manila — Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte should be taken seriously, but not literally, his spokesman said on Tuesday, after the leader drew criticism for saying he once ordered soldiers to shoot female Maoist insurgents in the genitals. "I have been saying again and again, do not take the president literally but take him seriously," presidential spokesman Harry Roque said. Roque said the context of Duterte’s February 7 remarks was that he was angry that communist insurgents had betrayed his trust and forced a peace process with the government to collapse. He said the president had repeatedly proven that welfare of women was a priority for Duterte. Duterte was recalling an order he said he had given to troops when he was mayor of Davao City. "Tell the soldiers: ‘There’s a new order coming from [the] mayor. We won’t kill you. We will just shoot your vagina’." Gabriela, a women’s group represented in Congress, called Duterte "the most dangerous macho-fascist in government" and sa...
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