After getting lambasted for sharing a rape joke on Facebook, University of the Philippines executive vice president Dr Teodoro Herbosa said he would undergo a gender sensitivity seminar to “make amends” for his mistake.

Herbosa made the statement together with a public apology on his Facebook account on Wednesday, October 14, a few days after concerned citizens and sectoral regents of University of the Philippines called him out for sharing a rape joke.

Calling out an executive

The executive vice president earlier shared on Friday, October 9, a screenshot of an anecdote about a father teaching his son the difference between rape, romance, and marriage.

In a statement on Monday, October 12, UP sectoral regents of students, faculty, and staff described the joke as “violent,” on top of being misogynistic. For the representatives, Herbosa’s post was “an old joke which would at most elicit a snicker even from your most dependable male chauvinist acquaintances.”

The Office of Faculty Regent, Student Regent, and Staff Regent condemned the rape joke shared by Herbosa, and urged the UP administration to conduct gender sensitivity trainings, as well as workshops on the “proper and discerning” use of social media accounts.

“We strongly condemn the rape joke posted by EVP Herbosa. Any form of misogynistic act, comment or statement is unacceptable and cannot be tolerated. We deplore this very public expression by a high UP official of the most backward and primitive attitude towards women… This should not go without comment or reprimand from the UP Administration and the UP President,” they said in the statement.

The sectoral regents were not alone in condemning Herbosa’s rape joke. Former Department of Social Welfare and Development Secretary Judy Taguiwalo also castigated Herbosa for sharing the rape joke, saying the UP executive vice president must be educated about the negative impact of rape jokes.

“It is condemnable under any condition but more so if one is a high official of UP which espouses ‘an enabling, gender-fair, safe and healthy learning and working environment for the members of the UP community,'” she said.

Herbosa deleted the Facebook post hours after sharing it.

Acknowledging faults

Responding to the backlash, Herbosa apologized for the joke and “for the pain this post has caused among victims of rape.”

“Rape is not a laughing matter. It is a serious crime and [deserves] to be handled with the sensitivity and compassion. I truly regret my post and had deleted it within a few hours after I was called out. I have reflected upon this incident, and I have resolved to be cautious of my posts online,” said Herbosa via his Facebook post.

Herbosa also acknowledged the request of the sectoral regents and agreed to undergo gender sensitivity seminars with the help of the UP Center for Women and Gender Studies. He added that he hoped others who “subscribe to the beliefs perpetrated by such jokes” would “reflect on the adverse effects of their beliefs and make amends as well.” 

He also said that his actions do not, in any way, reflect the values of the university, assuring the community that he is taking “steps to ensure that my actions are always aligned with them.” – Rappler.com