“…[Y]OU KNOW there was a time I was in Shangri-La, I saw Anne Curtis, she is really beautiful. You know, a desire inside me welled up, I felt the heat, and I just imagined what could happen, but of course, that is only my imagination. But I think I cannot be charged for what I was able to imagine.”
Quezon City Rep. Bong Suntay’s expressed libidinal impulses referenced in VP Sara Duterte’s imagining herself decapitating President Marcos Jr. is straight out of the BDSM playbook of Marquis de Sade – of sex and violence. Really way off in the House, especially in a justice committee hearing.
Right and righteous is the reprimand he reaped instantly from his colleagues, indeed.
“His statement is unacceptable, and he should issue a public apology. Sharing his imagination about a woman — for any reason — is outright disrespectful and objectifies women,” Gabriela Partylist Rep. Sarah Elago said. “We stand firmly with women in denouncing this behavior from those in positions of power. There is no place for sexism and the objectification of women by public officials. We will continue to demand respect, uphold women’s dignity, and push for accountability.”
Pointed San Juan Rep. Ysabel Maria Zamora: “It was very unbecoming of a congressman for him to do that. So, we remind our colleagues not to say anything like that, it’s actually very timely that that happened today, especially with the women’s month just starting, in fact, it’s an international celebration, March is women’s month.”
Zamora’s move to strike Suntay’s remarks from the hearing records was objected to by the Curtis-imagining congressman claiming there was nothing “sexual” about his statements: that the committee is “starting a dangerous precedent” by censuring expressions that are “neither illegal nor immoral.”
There indeed is nothing in the law books that makes imagination, no matter how prurient, a crime.
From the moral perspective though, the Good Book had Matthew 5:27-28: “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”
Yes, Suntay’s salacious remarks were stricken off the records. But more denunciations come the congressman’s way. This one from the objectified Curtis’ own sister Jasmine impacts most:
“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.
When a congressman publicly narrates his ‘desire’ and imagination about a woman he once saw (or dreams he saw … his statements keep changing), it reinforces a culture that treats women as consumable, as spectacle, as fantasy, as objects for commentary rather than as whole human beings with agency, intellect, and autonomy.
Public office carries with it the responsibility to elevate discourse, not diminish it. The halls of government should be spaces where women are discussed for their contributions, their ideas, and their leadership — not as imagined scenarios.
We cannot continue excusing this as ‘just being honest’ or ‘just a compliment.’ It is neither.
Respect is not complicated. If we want safer environments for our daughters, nieces, and future leaders, accountability must begin with those elected to represent us.”
Shame on you, Suntay.
