“Come to Philippines, our virgins are waiting for you:” Prez

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The President of Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte has always been in the limelight for the wrong words or usages. This time it has gone to an extent where he called tourists to his country saying virgins are waiting for them. He was referring to the purported Islamic State recruitment method of promising Islamist militants scores of virgins in the afterlife.

Duterte, who is in India as part of the 2018 India-ASEAN Commemorative Summit, was speaking at the Philippines-India Business Forum in New Delhi on the eve of the Indian Republic Day celebrations.

Telling delegates about his Muslim background, Duterte said the aims of Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) are devoid of any reason, before mocking the idea of virgins being awarded to martyred fighters.

“It’s an ideology that is totally bankrupt, totally empty and the only objectives are to kill and to destroy for no reason at all. The come-on is that if you die a martyr, you go to heaven with 42 virgins waiting for you. Well if I could just make it a come-on also for those who would like to come to my country,” he said.

“I’d like to have the virgins here, not in heaven. God may not allow it,” he added.

The president was actually referring to the improved conditions for business in Philippines, including his aim to eradicate government corruption and terrorist threats on the island of Mindanao.