The controversy over Rep. Jesus Manuel “Bong” Suntay’s inappropriate remarks (Quezon City, 4th district) during a House of Representatives hearing has produced at least one unintended outcome. The public is talking about misogyny, what it means and why it should not be tolerated. And this conversation is happening during International Women’s Month.
But, really, we did not need Suntay to trigger our education. His statements about actress Anne Curtis were downright sexist and shameless.
During a House committee hearing on the impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, Suntay gave what he called an “analogy” regarding Curtis. When he saw her, he said, a “desire” welled up inside him and he “felt the heat,” but he could not do anything about it. Similar to Duterte’s statement, he added that threatening to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. should not be taken literally and was not the same as actually doing it.
That claim about death threats as somehow harmless was quickly challenged by Rep. Janice Degamo (Negros Oriental, 3rd district), the widow of assassinated Gov. Roel Degamo. She said her husband’s murder was proof that threats can turn into fatal, real-world actions.
Women’s groups were quick to call out Suntay’s remarks on Curtis. The We-Move or the Movement for the Safety and Welfare of Women Journalists and other groups criticized the statement as sexist, demeaning and a clear objectification of women that has no place in Congress. Stet–Women in Cebu Media backed the We-Move position and called on local media to approach the issue with sobriety and intelligent discourse.
Several complaints have since been filed before the Office of the Ombudsman accusing Suntay of violating the Safe Spaces Act and the Magna Carta of Women.
Republic Act (RA) 11313, or the Safe Spaces Act (“Bawal Bastos” law), identifies a range of gender-based harassment, such as cursing, wolf-whistling, catcalling, leering, intrusive gazing, taunting, pursing, unwanted invitations and misogynistic slurs on one’s appearance. Penalties range from fines of P1,000 to P500,000 and jail time of 12 hours to six months, depending on the severity and frequency of the offense.
RA 9710, the Magna Carta of Women, also states that government officials, as the primary duty-bearers, must refrain from discriminating against women, must uphold their rights and must protect them from violations and abuse. Sanctions are to be recommended by the Civil Service Commission and the Department of the Interior and Local Government.
The complaints further cited the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees, as well as the ethical code governing Filipino lawyers. These provisions were invoked in response to Suntay’s now-infamous remark described as a “declaration of predatory desire.”
People now know more about misogyny and why it is wrong. The law is clear on gender-based harassment. And women should never be reduced to material for a joke, especially in Congress.