Yet Duterte also tried to project the image of a sweet-talking Casanova, often talking about how much he loved women—a foul-mouthed bad boy with a soft side. Most of his followers, who proudly call themselves DDS (Die-hard Duterte Supporters), view him as a father figure. Many affectionately called him by the nickname Tatay Digong, or “Daddy Digong.”

But Duterte’s two-year-old presidency has revealed Daddy Digong’s vindictive side, one he tends to show when women have dared to call out his crude behavior or oppose the controversial policies like his brutal war on drugs, which has left thousands of suspected drug users and pushers dead.

When Senator Leila de Lima, one of Duterte’s most vocal critics, called for an investigation into the drug war, the president relentlessly vilified her in his speeches, promising to “destroy her, make her cry and let her rot in jail.” In early 2017, de Lima was charged with drug trafficking—an unbailable offense—and detained. She denied the charges but remains in detention, awaiting a trial that may never come, at least while Duterte remains in office.

Most recently, Lourdes Sereno, the Philippines’ first woman chief justice, faced impeachment for allegedly evading taxes and failing to declare her assets. Like De Lima, Sereno opposed Duterte’s drug war and his declaration of martial law in the southern Philippine island of Mindanao, which was overrun by ISIS-affiliated terrorists in May 2017. Sereno claimed that the move against her had “the imprimatur of the president;” in response, Duterte declared her his enemy, and promised he would have her immediately impeached. Following a vote from her fellow justices, Sereno was removed from her post.

For many political analysts, Sereno’s removal was not just an act of vindication for Duterte: It represented the collapse of an independent judiciary, and the further consolidation of power under Duterte, who has said he will not choose a woman to succeed Sereno.

Duterte’s blatant sexism and misogyny, and the way his supporters applaud it and other Filipinos seems to tolerate or ignore it, come into direct tension with the advancements of women in Philippine society. Two women have served as president of the Philippines, an achievement that many developed nations cannot claim. (Both came into power by overthrowing a sitting male president.) A recent McKinsey Global Institute report also showed that the Philippines leads the Asia-Pacific Region on gender equality in the workplace. The country has also consistently ranked among the top 10 countries in the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap report, which recognizes gender equality in labor force participation, education, health, and political empowerment.

And yet: Duterte managed to tap into a sexist strain that has long festered just beneath the surface.