In Bacolod, radioman gets backlash for on-air rape joke
A radio anchor in Bacolod City received widespread backlash from media and gender rights groups over a joke about raping a reporter while they were on live broadcast on Wednesday.
Jean Paul Generoso, host of 11MBPS at K5 News FM Bacolod, told a reporter on air that he would rape her so he could go to jail and vent his anger on a father who had beaten his 6-year-old daughter at the Bacolod City public plaza. He repeatedly used the word “rape” as a joke, which was accompanied by the sound of laughter.
Councilor Celia Flor, chair of Bacolod City council’s committee on women, gender, family and childcare, immediately condemned the statement, reminding Generoso that “rape is not a joke.”
Gabriela Women’s Party added to the condemnation: “In a time of increasing cases of violence against women and youth, everyone’s stance must be clear: rape is not a joke. It should not be made into a joke, content, or a gimmick for attention.”
Gabriela called for immediate accountability and action to ensure such behavior is barred from media spaces.
Following the backlash, Generoso issued an official apology via the station’s social media page, admitting to have let off “inappropriate statement” during Wednesday’s live broadcast.
“While it was never my intention to mock or trivialize the suffering of victims, I now fully realize that using this term in a humorous context, especially on live radio, was deeply insensitive, irresponsible, and entirely unacceptable,” he said.
The Negros Press Club, in a statement on Wednesday, condemned Generoso’s behavior, saying women’s rights and respect are “values that define responsible journalism and public service.”
“Comments that make light of rape and sexual violence are unacceptable and have no place in responsible journalism and broadcasting,” the Presidential Task Force on Media Security said in a statement on Thursday.
The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) stressed that despite existing anti-sexual harassment laws and workplace safe space ordinances, misogyny and macho culture continue to persist in many newsrooms.
NUJP said several media organizations still lack clear policies and mechanisms to address sexual harassment and protect journalists and media workers. Incidents of sexual harassment in the media industry, NUJP added, often go unreported because victims fear losing their jobs or income, being dismissed or blamed, and experiencing shame or stigma.
