The President of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, was subjected to a wave of criticism after saying that he sexually assaulted an employee of the home as a teenager.
In a speech, he recalled having confessed to a priest who put his hand in the lingerie maid while she was sleeping.
The Gabriela women’s rights group said Duterte was “unworthy of his position” and that “should resign”.
The President of Philippines has caused indignation with several provocative comments, but remains popular in the country.
In his latest statements, he explained that he came into the room of her maid while she was sleeping.
“I lifted the sheet… tried to play what was inside the underwear”, said. “I played. She woke up, so I left the room”.
He said that he said to the priest that he later returned to the room of the woman and tried to return to harass her.
Duterte said the priest told him that read “five our fathers, five Hail Marys, because you will go to hell”, according to the Rappler news web site.
It is common for wealthy families from the Philippines to hire maids. Many women of the country also play this work in Asia and the Middle East.
Duterte spokesman said that the President simply had “invented” and “exaggerated” the story during his speech on Saturday.
Philippine human rights groups strongly condemned the comments, which were made as part of a speech against the Catholic Church by the sexual abuse of children.
Gabriela, a political party representing women’s rights groups, said that the comments amounted to admitting a violation.
“Rape is not only through the introduction of the penis”, the Secretary general of the Organization, Joms Salvador said. “If it is a finger or an object also is considered rape.”
The coalition against trafficking in women in Asia-Pacific warned that the President’s comments threaten to domestic workers.
“Boast of abusive practices encourage the culture of rape and, in this case, the sexual abuse of domestic workers,” said Executive director Jean Enríquez.
According to government figures, more than one million of the Philippines working abroad as housemaids.
Duterte has been very hard with the Catholic Church, criticized his bloody war against drugs.
The latest controversy the President of Philippines had already been in the center of the controversy previously for actions and comments about women.
Earlier this year he raised criticism by kissing a Filipino worker abroad during an event.
He also said Filipino soldiers that they should shoot the communist rebels into the vagina.
In April 2016, he spoke at a rally during the election campaign over the murder and rape of an Australian missionary in Davao City in 1989, where he was Mayor at the time.
“I was angry because they raped her,” he said. “That’s one thing. But she was very beautiful, the Mayor should have been the first, what waste”. His office later apologized.
