Azkals could face suspensions for "offensive behavior"

One Azkal allegedly commented crudely about her bra size. Another paraded in front of her in his underwear. Rude behavior no doubt, but was it sexual harassment? 

Sports official Cristina Ramos, a daughter of former President Fidel V. Ramos, is convinced that she has a case not just against two of the players, who she says committed those acts while she was making a pre-match inspection in their dressing room, but against the entire team.  Ramos says the rest of the players, including Phil Younghusband, just stood around laughing while she was being humiliated. She claimed that none of the team members and officials made "any attempts to discipline the players and tell them to behave properly," She has filed a sexual harassment complaint with the Asean Football Confederation's Discipline Committee.  But a close reading of the AFC's Code of Ethics and its Disciplinary Code shows that the rules do not specify sexual harassment as an offense. However, it does penalize "discrimination" against gender and "offensive behavior." The AFC Discipline committee will rule on whether the two players, Filipino-Spanish Angel Guirado and Filipino-American Lexton Moy, should be punished, as well as the rest of the team for being passive spectators of their teammates' actions.  Ramos was also quoted as citing the Philippine law against sexual harassment. But Lorna Kapunan, a lawyer who has handled harassment cases, says that it doesn't apply in this case.  "The Anti-Sexual Harassment Act is not an issue of sex or harassment," Kapunan told GMA News Online. "It's an issue of power. It is when a boss harasses a subordinate for sexual favors in exchange for many of a few things... let's say promotion, good grades. I don't think there's sexual harassment here." Nevertheless, gender discrimination and offensive behavior are considered serious offenses by the AFC, with suspensions for as long as five matches. Furthermore, "misconduct" against match officials like Ramos can be punished with a year-long suspension, according to the AFC's Disciplinary Code.  Suspensions would damage the national team, as Guirado, 27, is a rangy 6-foot-3 striker who scored two goals in a victory over Bangladesh last year.  Midfielder Moy, 27, was called up to the national team last year while playing with Kaya in the Philippines' United Football League. He had previously competed in the Hong Kong First Division League.  Born and raised in New York's Chinatown, Moy graduated summa cum laude from Long Island University where he was named its Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2008 for his performance in the classroom and on the playing field. — Renee Fopalan/MRT/ HS, GMA News