By Genalyn D. Kabiling
President Duterte is ready to give more kisses to lady volunteers despite getting flak for his recent alleged disrespectful gesture in South Korea.
At the inauguration of the Mactan-Cebu International Airport Terminal 2 last Thursday, the President said he has kissed more than 1,000 ladies on the lips so far, defending that his fondness for women was “biology.”
“What about the kiss? Halik…Sabi ko kung may volunteer ngayon. Eh ano?” the President said, drawing laughter from the audience. “It’s biology. You don’t need it? I do. Talagang ganun lang. That’s the long and short of it,” he added.
Duterte argued that kissing was his style as a politician, recalling that he gave away ballers to women during the last campaign in exchange for a smack on the lips.
“I really embrace and kiss people. Huwag lang ‘yang pedophile ka. But yung magaganda, hinahalikan ko talaga,” he said.
“Maybe I have kissed a thousand ladies on the lips. ‘Yun ang style ko sa politika but you know it – it leaves a bad taste in the mouth,” he added.
The President sparked a political firestorm after kissing a married woman on the lips while in an official visit to South Korea. Some groups, including women activists, have denounced the President’s inappropriate behavior in public.
The President brushed aside the criticisms about the kiss, saying “it was showbiz and everybody enjoyed it.”
The lady, identified as Bea Kim, said she gave consent to the kiss during the gathering of the Filipino community in Seoul, adding there was no malice in the kiss.
