Bong Suntay’s 'lewd' comments on actress deemed sexual harassment, says professor

The supposedly lewd remarks made by Quezon City Rep. Bong Suntay about actress Anne Curtis can be considered a form of sexual harassment, a gender studies professor said on Wednesday.

In a report by Joseph Morong on "24 Oras" on Wednesday, Suntay’s controversial statements during a House hearing on the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte drew widespread reactions.

Many believe his comments were inappropriate.

“Pagnanasa…Hindi dapat kasi mali ‘yun,” said one man.

(It’s about lust… That’s uncalled for because it’s wrong.)

“Siyempre enraged tayo…Women’s Month pa,” lamented a woman.

(Of course, we are enraged… especially since it’s Women’s Month.)

“Nakaka-offend siya. May halo siyang malisya ang dating sa mga kababaihan,” another added.

(It’s offensive. It comes across to women as having a hint of malice.)

Suntay defended himself, saying he only wanted to compare his imagined scenario with Duterte’s threat against President Marcos and the First Lady—a threat she said would be triggered only by her own assassination. He claimed his thoughts were entirely different.

“May desire na ‘nag-init’- ang interpretasyon ko doon ay nakita ko yung crush ko at na-imagine ko na nililigawan ko siya, at naging girlfriend ko siya. Hindi naman malicious,” he said.

(There was a desire, and my interpretation was seeing my crush and imagining that I was courting her, and that she became my girlfriend. It wasn’t malicious.)

Janice Zamora-Morales, a gender studies professor at the University of the Philippines, said such statements carry cultural interpretations that are difficult to ignore.

“We share the same cultural meaning of what those words mean. Yung ‘init’, kung anong pwedeng mangyari,” she explained.

(We share the same cultural understanding of what those words mean—the word ‘heat,’ and what could potentially happen.)

Zamora-Morales added that Suntay’s remarks constitute sexual harassment, which violates the Anti-Bastos Ordinance in Quezon City—a law he himself helped enact.

Many women emphasized the importance of respect in both words and actions.

“Hindi dapat binabastos ang mga babae sa mga pangit na salita,” said Yolanda Sinoy.

(Women should not be disrespected with foul language.)

“Ako as a young woman gusto ko rin po in a way, when I go out, people would treat me equally as a person. Hindi na dahil babae ako, hindi dahil lalaki siya; Hindi dahil bata siya o matanda siya,” said Cha Masangkay.

(As a young woman, I also want to be treated equally when I go out. Not because I’m a woman or he’s a man; not because someone is young or old.)

“Actually kahit sinong tao, hindi natin pinag-uusapan as a commodity and as a sobrang objectified yung dating,” added Kris Martin.

(Actually, no person should be talked about as a commodity or in a way that feels highly objectified.)

Zamora-Morales also noted that such remarks are worsened by a political culture that lacks accountability.

“There are some politicians whose charisma allows them to operate with sexism,” she said.

“They feel indispensable, and they act with impunity, thinking their power shields them from consequences,” she added.

The professor urged the public to speak out against such statements.

“Kung hindi mo sya iko-call out, then definitely magpo-proliferate pa rin yung ganitong klaseng pagtingin that keep on objectifying women, not only women but other genders minsan,” she said.

(If you don’t call it out, this perspective will continue to proliferate—objectifying women, and sometimes other genders as well.)—Vince Angelo Ferreras/MCG, GMA Integrated News