‘Kiss muna’ and the Altar of Secrets

“Kiss muna,” he said, pointing to his puckered lips. “Give me a kiss first” and the many similar sexual innuendoes like it, are a most precise and succinct precondition that a lecherous man in a position of ascendancy and superior power and influence would lay on a woman depending on some outcome beneficial to her, through his beneficence.
Yes, “Kiss muna” would be cute to say to a little child, in playful cajoling much like training pet dogs.
But for a person in ascendancy to say, in so many words translatable to “Kiss Muna” to a woman (or man) employee in the workplace, whether the immediate “reward” would be defined ab initio or not, nor if there was consent or even initiation by the “victim” — that would be called sexual harassment, as variously defined among the offenses under Rule X, Classification of Acts of Sexual Harassment, Section 53, grave, less grave and light offenses (see Civil Service Commission, Resolution No. 01-0940 dated May 21, 2001).
When on June 3, 2018, President Rodrigo Duterte separately met with 2,000 of the estimated 66,000-strong Filipino community in South Korea on the first day of his official talks with Korean President Moon Jae-in, he ended his otherwise uncontroversial pep talk with a surprise twist: he asked for two women from the audience to receive two books as presents from him.
The Philstar Global video clearly showed President Duterte saying, “Not a man. You have to pay me with a kiss. Are you ready for kissing?” Duterte said, and he pointed to the two women to go up to the stage (philstar.com June 3, 2018). He held only one book, and he instructed the lady in the red-flower printed dress to pass on the book after reading it, to the lady in the white blouse.
“Where’s the kiss?” Duterte said in Filipino.
As he held tight to their hands, the two women raised his hands to their foreheads in the “mano po” gesture customary of paying obeisance to elders in the Filipino culture. As Duterte would not let go, the woman in the red-flower printed dress reached up to his cheek, gave him a fast and light buzz, and immediately “escaped” down from the stage. The woman in white was, by this time, alone on stage with Duterte, as he pointed to his puckered lips. The woman in the white blouse was shrieking, and jumping up and down, probably not from excitement, but perhaps more from nervousness, as she was evidently caught in a dilemma — and the jeering crowd was evidently enjoying her predicament.
“Are you single,” he asked. “Married,” she said. “Is he here,” he asked. “No,” she said. “Sabay tayo (let’s do it simultaneously),” he said, as he drew her to him and kissed her on the lips. She jumped up and down, shrieking, and President Duterte took her into a tight embrace, patting her on the back. (Ibid.).
“I hope you understand,” President Duterte said to the audience. “That was only a gimmick to make you happy.” (Ibid.).
State-run Philippine News Agency on PTV 4 identified the woman as Bea Kim. “There wasn’t malice in it,” she said. “For me, for him, it didn’t mean anything” (Reuters June 4, 2018). Women’s rights group Gabriela said it was “unfortunate that the woman found it her obligation to publicly defend the act as ‘[without] malice”…the kiss was “disgusting theatrics of a misogynist President who feels entitled to demean, humiliate or disrespect women according to his whim.” (Ibid.).
When Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said there was nothing immoral with President Duterte kissing a married woman in public, because the woman herself did not complain about it (ABS-CBN New June 5), opposition Senator Risa Hontiveros said that even though the kiss was consensual, it was a “grave abuse of authority” (Reuters, June 4).
“A person in power, [especially] a President, who solicits sexual favor — a kiss on the lips before a hooting throng is acting inappropriately. The misconduct? Misuse of power. It’s what sexual harassment is all about. He shouldn’t have placed her on the spot,” said former Solicitor General Florin Hilbay (Ibid.).
University of the Philippines sociologist John Andrew Enriquez pointed out that Duterte was on public space, in an event funded by the Filipino people — government money was spent, and the people have a right to comment. The crowd jeering and cheering pressured the “victim,” as well as she was intimidated by the power of the President. Yes, she was awed by him, as most Filipinos are awed by politicians, making them celebrities, he said (CNN June 9, 2018).
It has been a week of hype and hysteria on the “Kiss muna” faux pas of Duterte. Even the foreign media has been feasting on the kissing story, taking time and space for this perversely “news-worthy” item, this weird story of the leader of this small country kissing on the lips, a giggly young Filipina (former overseas Filipino worker) now married to a Korean. Surely there was a subliminal message not quite flattering to the Filipino image.
More than the image, it is the serious matter of “molding the collective consciousness,” sociologist Enriquez cautions. All, especially those in positions of power and influence, help this collective consciousness take shape, from their overt action and the language used to convey values and principles.
But what about the book that Duterte dangled and gave to his chosen “Kiss muna” victim?
The dark-covered book in video clips and so named in many newspaper accounts of the kissing scene is Altar of Secrets: Sex, Politics and Money in the Catholic Church, an exposé on alleged wrongdoings of Catholic bishops and priests, written in 2013 by the multi-awarded investigative journalist Aries C. Rufo.
Duterte had said the Catholic Church has no moral ascendancy to lecture him because some members of the clergy are also engaged in sinful acts (ABS-CBN News Jan 24, 2017). Duterte, a Catholic like the estimated 80% of Filipinos, has repeatedly been hitting at the Catholic Church and some of its leaders for speaking out against his war on drugs — and has actively recommended the reading of Altar of Secrets. (Ibid.).
If ever there was no malice in the “Kiss muna” episode in South Korea, could there not have been some malice in distributing Altar of Secrets as the subliminal quid pro quo?
Woe to our “collective consciousness,” as the sociologist would bemoan.
 
Amelia H. C. Ylagan is a Doctor of Business Administration from the University of the Philippines.
ahcylagan@yahoo.com