Lawmaker’s ‘Risqué’ Anecdote Ignites Firestorm Over Gender Sensitivity at Impeachment Hearing

Lawmaker’s ‘Risqué’ Anecdote Ignites Firestorm Over Gender Sensitivity at Impeachment Hearing

By Bing Jabadan – TheNATIONWEEK.com | March 4, 2026

MANILA, Philippines – A crucial impeachment hearing against Vice President Sara Duterte was abruptly derailed by a contentious incident involving Quezon City Representative Bong Suntay, whose remarks concerning acclaimed actress Anne Curtis were swiftly condemned by several colleagues as “lewd” and inappropriate. 

The incident has ignited a fervent public and parliamentary debate, bringing issues of decorum, gender sensitivity, and the ethical conduct of public officials within legislative proceedings to the forefront.

The controversial exchange unfolded during a House Committee on Justice hearing, where Representative Suntay was actively arguing against the merits of a third impeachment complaint against Vice President Duterte. 

The complaint alleged severe offenses, including political destabilization, sedition, and insurrection. Suntay’s core contention was that the accusations lacked substance, being based on mere attribution or unenforceable statements. 

To bolster his argument, he cited the Vice President’s “designated survivor” comment, positing that it was neither a criminal act nor a feasible declaration without an established legal process.

However, his attempt to illustrate the unenforceability of mere thoughts or imaginations took an unexpected and highly criticized turn. 

Representative Suntay recounted a personal anecdote involving an encounter with actress Anne Curtis at a mall. In his detailed recollection, he described Curtis’s beauty, confessing that “a desire inside me welled up, I felt the heat, and I just imagined what could happen.” 

He then immediately followed this by asserting that he could not be legally charged for these privately imagined thoughts.

The remarks drew immediate and forceful objections from within the committee. San Juan Representative Ysabel Maria Zamora promptly moved to have Suntay’s comments officially stricken from the hearing records. 

Representative Suntay vociferously objected to this motion, maintaining there was “nothing sexual” or “immoral” about his statements and reiterating his defense that they were solely about the power of one’s imagination. Despite his protests, Manila Representative Bienvenido Abante Jr. unequivocally reiterated the call for the deletion of the remarks, lending further weight to the objections.

Representative Suntay then expressed concern that the committee was “starting a dangerous precedent” by attempting to censor statements he personally deemed neither illegal nor immoral. 

Committee Vice Chairperson Zamora, however, firmly countered Suntay’s stance, emphasizing the particular inappropriateness of such statements emanating from lawmakers, especially given that the nation was currently observing National Women’s Month.

“Madam Chair, with all due respect to my friend Congressman Bong Suntay, it is just the start of Women’s Month, and I don’t think that we should be hearing such comments from our dear colleagues. We’re not censoring anything, but we are reminding them that, in fact, we should support women by not saying these statements,” Zamora declared, underscoring the broader implications of his remarks in the context of promoting women’s rights and respect.

Committee Chairperson Batangas Representative Gerville Luistro further solidified the committee’s position, asserting, “The chair would like to state that if the manifestation of the justice member offends the sensitivity of the justice members, then it means we are crossing the boundaries already. After all, we rule here by the judgment of the justice members.” This statement highlighted the collective judgment of the committee members and their role in upholding ethical standards within the proceedings.

The incident unfolded amidst the Committee on Justice’s ongoing deep dive into the substance of two remaining impeachment complaints against Vice President Duterte. Earlier in the proceedings, one complaint had been voluntarily withdrawn, and another was procedurally set aside due to a violation of the one-year bar rule. 

The current deliberations focus on a third complaint, filed by a coalition of clergy members and lawyers, and a fourth complaint endorsed by Representative Abante Jr. and Deputy Speaker Paolo Ortega V, both of which remain under the committee’s active jurisdiction.

Public Outcry and Sister’s Condemnation

The remarks swiftly transcended the legislative chambers, drawing widespread public outrage and sharp condemnation from various sectors. 

Actress Jasmine Curtis-Smith, Anne Curtis’s sister, took to social media platforms X and Facebook to express her profound disgust and disappointment.

“WHAT A DISGUSTING MAN. A FATHER. A HUSBAND,” she wrote, adding, “This moment is not about one female celebrity. It is about how ALL WOMEN, regardless of profession, continue to be reduced to bodies in spaces dominated by men in power.” Her powerful statement underscored the systemic nature of the issue and highlighted how such comments perpetuate the harmful objectification of women.

This highly publicized episode serves as a stark reminder of the intense scrutiny surrounding public discourse and the ever-increasing expectations for decorum and gender sensitivity from elected officials, particularly within the hallowed halls of legislative proceedings. 

The swift and unified reaction from other lawmakers, alongside the significant public backlash, underscores a heightened sensitivity to potentially offensive language and the critical importance of fostering respectful and professional environments, especially during discussions of paramount national significance. 

The incident is likely to fuel continued debate on the boundaries of parliamentary privilege, the ethical responsibilities of those entrusted with public office, and the ongoing struggle for true gender equality in all spheres of society.