Philippine Offers ’42 Virgins’ To Attract Investors

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte told a group of Indian and Filipino business leaders in New Delhi that he would like to attract visitors to his country by offering “42 virgins”.

In a speech on Friday aimed at luring investors to the Philippines, Duterte also said Indian businessmen should “avoid Mindanao” because “there’s still martial law there”, referring to the southern Philippine island, where armed Muslim rebels and fighters continue to battle government forces.

Duterte was on a three-day trip to the Indian capital to attend a regional summit between India and leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and participate in the country’s Republic Day celebration.

In a statement on Saturday, a women’s activist group called Duterte an “international embarassment”, Rappler reported.

“We deserve a president who can represent Filipinos: men, women and LGBT alike abroad. We deserve a president who has a regard for women’s rights and dignity,” the Akbayan Women’s rights group said. “He has no respect for Filipino women.”

Source: Al Jazeera