The House of Representatives has ordered Quezon City Fourth District Rep. Bong Suntay to face the Committee on Ethics following controversial remarks involving actress Anne Curtis.
The move came after the plenary approved motions filed by San Juan Rep. Belle Zamora, referring the privilege speech of Laguna First District Rep. Ann Matibag for appropriate action by the ethics panel.
Zamora also moved to authorize the committee to conduct a thorough assessment of Suntay’s statements and require his appearance at the hearing. The committee is expected to submit its findings and recommendations to the House after the proceedings.
The controversy stemmed from remarks made by Suntay during a committee hearing, where he defended Vice President Sara Duterte over her previous statements about wanting to cut off the President’s head and describing herself as a “designated survivor” for skipping the State of the Nation Address.
Suntay said the Vice President’s statements were matters of imagination and not impeachable offenses. He compared this to his own “imagination” involving actress Anne Curtis, recounting that he once saw her in a mall and felt a “sudden heat,” describing her as “so beautiful” and saying he felt desire.
Several lawmakers criticized Suntay’s remarks on the plenary floor, including Gabriela party-list Rep. Sarah Elago, Kabataan party-list Rep. Renee Co, and Akbayan party-list Rep. Chel Diokno.
Elago said the remarks reinforced a culture of objectification of women, warning that failure to address such statements would normalize harassment and discrimination. She stressed that the issue concerns dignity and equality, noting that women comprise half of the population represented in Congress.
Suntay later took the floor to apologize to those offended but maintained there was no malice in his statements.
“There was no malice intended. And if malice is inferred from my statement, I wish to apologize to those hurt or offended,” he said.
He also cited his record in advocating women’s rights, including co-authoring the Gender and Development Code and the Bawal Bastos Ordinance during his tenure as a Quezon City councilor. Suntay said he is prepared to face the consequences of his remarks and respects the House’s right to judge his actions.
