The Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has hit back at Chelsea Clinton for slamming his quip on raping women – a comment that he made recently to the Filipino troops fighting Islamists. The loudmouth president asked Chelsea, daughter of former US president Bill Clinton, where she was when her father was involved in an affair with Monica Lewinsky.

"Chelsea, be careful because you live in glass house. I repeat, when President Clinton was f*****g Lewinsky, what was your statement or your reaction," asked the firebrand leader, who is notoriously popular for throwing expletives at anyone who opposes his views.

Duterte repeated his remark regarding the former American president's sexual encounters twice in his speech, which he delivered to a group of naval personnel in the Davao city.

"She [Chelsea] slammed me for the rape joke. I was not joking. I was being sarcastic. You listen to the speech," the president said about his earlier remarks when he joked that his troops can even rape women during the martial law and he will take responsibility for them.

"You can each rape three women and I will protect you. Do not worry. I will join you. I will... If you go down, I go down. But for this martial law and the consequences and [its] ramifications, I and I alone would be responsible. I am here to say to you, fight and I will pray for you and I will answer for everything," the foul-mouthed president originally said within days of declaring martial law in Mindanao in the southern Philippines on 24 May.

His comments on rape sparked widespread condemnation from rights groups both from inside the country and elsewhere. Chelsea was among the first to lambast Duterte when she posted on Twitter: "Duterte is a murderous thug with no regard for human rights. It's important to keep pointing that out & that rape is never a joke."

Duterte sacks interior minister
Duterte had originally joked that his troops can rape women without impunity Ezra Acayan/Reuters