Duterte’s lead widens in Philippines race amid rape comment

Rodrigo Duterte, the tough-talking mayor of Davao, emerged as the 'clear front-runner according to a survey released by Social Weather Stations on Monday.

MANILA // A Philippine presidential candidate who joked about raping a murdered Australian missionary has widened his lead over his rivals despite a backlash from diplomats, the influential church and women’s groups.

Rodrigo Duterte, the tough-talking mayor of Davao, emerged as the “clear front-runner” according to a survey released by Social Weather Stations (SWS) on Monday.

The candidate, who has promised extrajudicial killings of suspected criminals, saw his support rise from 27 per cent of respondents in March to 33 per cent in April, giving him a nine-point lead over second-placed senator Grace Poe just two weeks before the vote.

The survey was conducted from April 18 to 20, shortly after a video circulated showing Mr Duterte making the remark about the missionary in campaign hustings.

Mr Duterte had told laughing followers that the woman was so beautiful he wished he had been the first in line to rape her before she was murdered in a jail riot in his city in 1989.

SWS spokesman Leo Laroza said the joke may have dented Mr Duterte’s popularity but did not prevent him pulling ahead of his arrivals in the poll of 1,800 voters.

“Mayor Duterte has been steadily gaining ground. It’s a clear lead. The joke could have affected him in such a way that his score could have even been higher had it not been for that news,” he said.

Mr Duterte’s comments drew widespread condemnation including from the Australian and US ambassadors, while women’s groups filed a complaint before the human rights commission.

But the candidate was undaunted, telling the diplomats to “shut their mouths” and warning he was prepared to sever ties with Canberra and Washington over the affair.

Another survey of 4,000 voters nationwide taken by research group Pulse Asia before the remarks hit the headlines also put Duterte in the lead with 34 per cent ahead of Poe at just 22 per cent.

* Agence France-Presse