Speaking to an almost exclusively female audience of police and army staff, Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte called them “bitches” and “crazy women”, who he said were “depriving me of my freedom of expression”.

At the event on Monday, which was being held to celebrate outstanding women in law enforcement and the national security of the Philippines, Mr Duterte began by saying in English: “Puta (bitches), you know you women are depriving me of my freedom of expression. You criticise every sentence or word I say, but that is my freedom to express myself.”

He said his remarks were designed to bring them “to the limits of despair”, after he was strongly criticised last week for warning women to stay away from Catholic priests who he said could “corner” them.

Mr Duterte has focused on the Catholic church which has been critical of his bloody war on drugs, in which over 5,000 are believed to have been killed. He has singled out priests and last year offered to resign if anyone could prove god exists.

Last week he said: “The women should refrain from going near the priests because when you are near him, he will just smell the scent of your body.

The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte Show all 9 1 /9 The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte On killing drug addicts “These sons of whores are destroying our children. I warn you, don’t go into that, even if you’re a policeman, because I will really kill you. If you know of any addicts, go ahead and kill them yourself as getting their parents to do it would be too painful” The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte Message to China “I will go there on my own with a Jet Ski, bringing along with me a [Phillipino] flag and a pole, and once I disembark, I will plant the flag on the runway and tell the Chinese authorities, ‘Kill me’ ” AP The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte Christmas message to law-breakers “If you do not want to stop, and just continue committing crimes, then this would be your last Merry Christmas” AP The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte On sex life “I was separated from my wife. I’m not impotent. What am I supposed to do? Let this hang forever? When I take Viagra, it stands up” AFP/Getty Images The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte On the drugs trade “None of my children are into illegal drugs. But my order is, even if it is a member of my family, ‘kill him'" AP The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte Insulting the Pope “We were affected by the traffic. It took us five hours. I asked why, they said it was closed. I asked who is coming. They answered, the pope. I wanted to call him: ‘Pope, son of a wh**e, go home. Do not visit us again’” AFP/Getty Images The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte Joke about rape “I saw her face and I thought, 'What a pity... they raped her, they all lined up. I was mad she was raped but she was so beautiful. I thought, the mayor should have been first” AFP/Getty The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte Insulting Barack Obama "Mr Obama should be respectful and refrain from throwing questions at me about the killings, or son of a bitch, I will swear at you in that forum" REUTERS The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte On Abu Sayyaf Islamic militants "If I have to face them, you know I can eat humans. I will really open up your body. Just give me vinegar and salt, and I will eat you. If you annoy me to the fullest... I will eat you alive. Raw" EPA

“And if he corners you in the church, you're in trouble, he will court you.

“Do you know why? It's because he is a man. God gave him a penis. What will they do with that?

“Will they slap it against the door every morning? God was the one who made a mistake there, not us,” he said.

But on Monday Mr Duterte also told the crowd he loved women. “I love women,” he said. “That’s why you see I have two wives. That means I like women.”

The country’s left-leaning Gabriela Women's Party described Mr Duterte as a “macho-fascist president [who] would be the last person who could give decent advice on how women can stay away from or fight abuse".

Mr Duterte’s verbal attack is the latest in a long list of misogynistic statements. Last year he told soldiers to shoot female communist rebels in the vagina.

“Tell the soldiers there's a new order coming from the mayor. We won't kill you. We will just shoot your vagina,” he said.

Rodrigo Duterte forces woman to kiss him on stage

And while running for office in 2016, he said of a 1989 Australian gang-rape victim: “I was angry because she was raped, that's one thing. But she was so beautiful, the mayor should have been first. What a waste.”

Despite his aggressive sexism and violent crackdowns on drugs, the president’s popularity is sky high.