MANILA, Philippines — Calls for a public apology from a lawmaker at the House of Represntatives grew following his "inappropriate remarks" on an actress, with Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte firing the initial salvo as she expressed her dismay since the congressman in the eye of the storm is from her city.
In a statement, Belmonte slammed 4th District Rep. Bong Suntay for the statements he made during a committee hearing on the impeachment complaint filed against Vice President Sara Duterte on Tuesday.
“But what makes this incident especially troubling is the fact that, as a former member of our city council, he (Suntay) was part of the body that passed our Gender and Development Code,” Belmonte said.
Moreover, Belmonte said that Suntay was the council’s majority floor leader when the ‘Bawal Bastos Ordinance,’ which declares that lewd, malicious, and demeaning remarks and acts have no place in public life, was passed and approved.
The city instituted this policy in 2016—ahead of the national Safe Spaces Act, she stressed.
The city chief executive said Suntay has directly contradicted the spirit of empowerment that they worked hard to build in the city.
Over the years, the local government embraced the difficult work of establishing protections for women, constantly striving to honor their rights by creating safe spaces and opportunities for them, the mayor said.
In this context, it is truly disappointing to witness Congressman Suntay’s casual display of objectification, on Women’s Month no less, according to her.
“Our policies are a declaration of our city’s values—of what we stand for and what we refuse to tolerate. We expect our elected officials to be the first to live by them,” Belmonte said.
“Thus, it is clear to me: We must not hesitate to push back against any act that undermines the dignity of our women. We must continue to stand for their safety, dignity, and equality—without exception and without compromise,” she added.
She reiterated the call on Suntay to take full accountability for his remarks, “issue a proper apology, and conduct himself with the dignity that his office—and our city—demand. Our people deserve no less.”
Meanwhile, women’s rights group Gabriela said there was no place for sexism and the objectification of women—especially from public officials.
“Expressing his imagination on a woman—for any reason—is a form of objectification of women,” the group said in Filipino.
The group also called on Suntay to issue a public apology.
During Tuesday’s deliberations, Suntay said that he himself experienced having a ‘strong desire’ and was aroused on seeing actress Anne Curtis but could only ‘imagine’ what could happen.
