4 weeks ago
17
Upgrade to High-Speed Internet for only ₱1499/month!
Enjoy up to 100 Mbps fiber broadband, perfect for browsing, streaming, and gaming.
Visit Suniway.ph to learn
Delon Porcalla - The Philippine Star
March 6, 2026 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — After congresswomen referred to the ethics panel the sexist remarks of Rep. Bong Suntay, women’s rights advocates filed an ethics complaint yesterday against the Quezon City lawmaker.
Gabriela party-list Rep. Sarah Jane Elago expressed support for the move made by Reps. Ysabel Zamora, Ma. Ann Lourdes Matibag, Renee Co and Dadah Kiram Ismula.
“When a member of Congress speaks in a way that objectifies women, the harm extends far beyond. These have real-life consequences to women who experience different kinds of abuses and discrimination on a daily basis,” Elago stressed.
Matibag, chair of the House women and gender equality committee, initiated on Wednesday the move against Suntay.
“Reducing women into objects of sexual imagination, especially coming from a high government official during a livestreamed hearing, is a direct sexist remark that is shameful,” Matibag said.
Akbayan Reps. Percival Cendaña and Chel Diokno also joined the congresswomen as they pushed for administrative sanctions against Suntay.
As for the ethics complaint, it was filed by former Gabriela representative Liza Maza, Gabriela National Alliance national chairperson Gert Libang, Gabriela Youth spokesperson Fran Reyes and Kilusan ng Manggagawang Kababaihan spokesperson Jacq Ruiz.
“Suntay should study the law because he is a legislator. And because he is a legislator, his punishment should be more severe than other people,” Maza said.
On Tuesday, Suntay equated Vice President Sara Duterte’s remark of imagining herself cutting President Marcos’ head with the sexual urge he had felt for actress Anne Curtis after seeing her in public.
Suntay liable
Suntay is liable for sexual harassment and violence against women, according to the Ateneo Human Rights Center (AHRC).
“Suntay’s statement is a type of gender-based sexual harassment, which is prohibited and punishable under Republic Act 11313 or the Safe Spaces Act. According to the Safe Spaces Act, gender-based sexual harassment occurs through any unwanted and uninvited sexual acts or remarks to any person, regardless of their motive for doing so,” the AHRC said.
“This also falls under violence against women, which is prohibited by RA 9710 or the Magna Carta for Women,” it noted.
Suntay’s remarks “reinforces false and unjust beliefs or assumptions about women and their relationships with men,” the AHRC stressed. – Bella Cariaso
