Duterte lashes out at foreign envoys, women's group

Kalibo, Aklan (CNN Philippines) — Even foreign diplomats weighed in on Rodrigo Duterte's controversial remark on rape.

And it's not sitting well with the mayor.

"Do not interfere because it's election time," Duterte said on Wednesday evening (April 20). "It would do the American ambassador and Australian ambassador to shut their mouth."

Related: Sorry or not: Duterte keeps people guessing

The first envoy to speak up was the Australian ambassador.

On Monday, Ambassador Amanda Gorely took her dismay to Twitter.

Gorely said rape and murder should never be joked about or trivialized.

Among those raped and killed in Davao in 1989 was Australian missionary Jacqueline Hamill, the subject of Duterte's now controversial remark.

U.S. ambassador Philip Goldberg backed his Australian counterpart's position.

Duterte said foreign envoys should not be meddling in local politics.

The feisty mayor didn't seem worried about the possible implications of his tirades against the ambassadors — even as he admitted previously that he might just need the country's allies, like the U.S., if tensions over the South China Sea dispute lead to a war with China.

That is if he wins the presidency.

Now he's saying he doesn't care if the country's relations with its allies are destroyed.

"Go ahead and sever it. If I become the president, go ahead and sever it," he said.

In his rally in Kalibo, Aklan, Duterte again defended his remarks.

Related: Women's rights groups file complaint vs. Duterte

He also lashed out at the women's group that filed a complaint against him before the Commission on Human Rights (CHR).

"You go to hell... Pero gusto ko makilala itong mga babaeng nag-demanda. Mag-usap kami... What are you trying to prove? Totoo, binayaran iyan."

[Translation: "Go to hell... But I want to meet these women who filed a complaint against me.. Truth is, they were paid."]

Duterte said he would not go the the CHR if he's summoned for an explanation.

He said it's "crazy" to be asked to explain himself for exercising his constitutional right to freedom of expression.