Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque defended the dire warning of Lieutenant General Antonio Parlade Jr to actress Liza Soberano and 2018 Miss Universe Catriona Gray, remarks that have been slammed as threatening and a form of red-tagging.

“Pinag-iingatan lang sila na baka magamit sila ng Left (They are just being cautioned that they may be used by the Left),” Roque said on Thursday, October 22, during his regular Malacañang press briefing.

“Siyempre, ingat din po kasi…’yung mga Maoist po sa Pilipinas, kung mayroon pwedeng pagsamantalahan, eh pagsasamantalahan nila (Of course, we have to ba cautious…those Maoist in the Philippines, they will take advantage of anyone they can exploit),” the Duterte spokesman added.

Maoists are those who ascribe to the ideology of Mao Zedong who believed in a communist revolution by peasants against an elite-enabled government.

Asked if Malacañang supports the words used by Parlade against Soberano and Gray, Roque did not directly respond to the question but instead said Parlade raised the issue of how “communists” were exploiting the two celebrities.

“Ang issue po, ‘yung posibleng pagsasamantala ng komunista sa mga adbokasiya ng mga personalidad gaya ni Liza at ni Catriona (The issue is the possible exploitation by communists of the advocacies of personalities like Liza and Catriona),” said Roque.

Soberano had given a talk in an event on women’s rights hosted by Gabriela, a group that won a seat in the House of Representatives.

Roque then clarified that the Palace does not see anything wrong with the advocacies of Soberano and Gray, who both enjoy huge followings and legions of Filipino fans.

“Pero wala po kaming problema doon sa sinasabi ni Liza at ni Catriona dahil ang ating Presidente, sinusulong din ang karapatan ng kakabaihan (We have no problem with what Liza and Catriona are saying because our President also advocates for the rights of women),” said Roque. 

Duterte has been slammed by womens rights groups for his jokes about rape and his lewd behavior toward women during official events broadcast live on national television.

Some of his most controversial remarks are his threat to shoot female communist rebels in the vagina and his rape joke involving an Australian missionary who died in a prison riot.

He has also blamed the “beauty” of women for the spike in rape cases in Davao City.

Duterte has dismissed outrage over his remarks, citing his right to freedom of expression. His spokesmen and allies, meanwhile, often defend him by saying his rape remarks are just “jokes” or that they stem from his Bisaya sense of humor, an assertion that has angered some people from Visayas and Mindanao. – Rappler.com