Members of the House Committee on Justice rebuked Bong Suntay after he made an unsolicited remark about actress Anne Curtis during deliberations on the impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte.
Suntay had been defending Duterte’s earlier comment about being a so-called “designated survivor” and argued that merely expressing a thought—even if controversial—does not amount to a crime. To illustrate his point, he recounted seeing Curtis at a hotel and described having private “imaginings,” insisting that a person cannot be charged for what they think.
His analogy immediately drew objections from lawmakers. Justice panel chair Belle Zamora moved to strike the statement from the official record, calling it inappropriate and irrelevant to the impeachment proceedings.
Manila 6th District Representative Benny Abante backed the motion, while Zamora later stressed that such remarks were especially improper at the start of Women’s Month. She described the comment as unnecessary, offensive, and unbecoming of a member of Congress.
Despite maintaining that his statement was neither immoral nor illegal, Suntay’s remarks were ultimately expunged from the hearing records after the panel approved Zamora’s motion.
