Comelec task force files DQ case vs bet over sex joke
- For his sex joke and fat-shaming remarks, Pasig congressional bet Christian Sia now faces a disqualification case filed by the Comelec task force on fair, anti-discriminatory campaigning.
- Comelec Director Sonia Bea Wee-Lozada, chair of the Task Force Safe (Safeguarding against Fear and Exclusion in Elections), said Sia, a lawyer and former councilor, was cited for violating Comelec Resolution Nos. 11116 and 11127.
- Wee-Lozada said the task force filed the case motu proprio, or by its own action. “We wanted to emphasize the importance of safe spaces not only in the general public, which we usually enjoy, regardless of the time,” she said.
A task force that is implementing antidiscriminatory and fair campaigning guidelines of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Wednesday filed a disqualification petition against a Pasig City congressional candidate after rejecting his excuses for his alleged sexist remarks toward single mothers and for fat-shaming a member of his staff.
The disqualification case against Christian Sia is the first to be filed under the Comelec’s antidiscrimination rules, according to an official.
Comelec Director Sonia Bea Wee-Lozada, chair of the Task Force Safe (Safeguarding against Fear and Exclusion in Elections), said Sia, a lawyer and former councilor, was cited for violating Comelec Resolution Nos. 11116 and 11127.
“For both show-cause orders (SCOs) we considered his answers and based on the submissions, we prepared this petition for disqualification,” Wee-Lozada said.
These SCOs require candidates to explain why they should not be sanctioned or disqualified from running for office based on certain grounds or complaints against them.
Wee-Lozada said the task force filed the case motu proprio, or by its own action.
“We wanted to emphasize the importance of safe spaces not only in the general public, which we usually enjoy, regardless of the time,” Wee-Lozada said.
“We are electing candidates to a public office so they should be held to a higher standard, so safe spaces [apply] in campaigns not just for candidates but also for those attending the rallies. That’s the view of the Comelec,” she added.
Resolution 11127 supplemented Resolution 11116 and definitively declared campaign rallies and caucuses, as well as online platforms, and all other election-related activities and venues, as safe spaces.
SCOs were issued to Sia over remarks he made in separate campaign rallies on April 3.
In the first rally, he said lonely single mothers who still menstruate may have sex with him once a year.
A video of his remarks spread rapidly within hours, reaching him later in another campaign rally.
Sia used the second gathering to defend himself by calling to the stage a female staff to display her physique to try to convince his audience that he was “not a maniac.”
Apology
He apologized for this remarks the following day, saying he was merely telling a joke and that he was a married man.
In his reply to the first SCO, Sia cited what he described as the “constitutional infirmity” of Resolution 11116. It said the resolution sought to implement, among other laws, the Magna Carta for Women and Safe Spaces Act, which, according to him, were outside the Comelec’s jurisdiction.
He said the resolution was promulgated to implement Republic Act No. 9006, or the Fair Elections Act, which pertains to equal time and opportunity concerning the posting and airing of election campaign propaganda.
“While the language and tone were indeed conversational with the use of everyday banter one would expect from ordinary people, my statements were not made to discriminate, exclude, restrict, demean or harass female solo parents,” he added.
Sia said that his statements were not uttered to restrict or deprive solo parents of their fundamental human rights and freedoms.
“While the words may sound brash, my speech, in its entirety, falls within my freedom of speech,” he said.
Drawing the line
Gabriela Rep. Arlene Brosas on Wednesday welcomed the Comelec task force’s petition.
Brosas, who is running for senator, expressed hope that the petition against Sia would set a precedent in disqualifying candidates who use offensive and demeaning rhetoric against women in their campaigns.
“Finally, the Comelec is drawing the line by responding to the clamor of women, especially solo parents, who were gravely offended and disrespected by Atty Sia’s sexist and discriminatory statements,” the lawmaker said.
“Instead of issuing a sincere apology, Sia showed no remorse and even doubled down, hiding behind ‘freedom of speech’ in a desperate attempt to brush off the serious harm caused by his remarks,” she said.
‘A clear warning’
Gabriela first nominee Sarah Elago expects similar disqualification cases against other candidates who also made sexist and misogynistic statements.
“Let this serve as a clear warning that sexism has no place in public office,” she pointed out, stressing that Filipino women, especially solo parents, deserve leaders who recognize their rights and support their daily struggles, not those who mock or belittle their experiences for cheap laughs or political gain.
Elago urged the Comelec to pursue its mandate consistently and resolutely, and to ensure that all candidates are held accountable for statements and actions that endanger women or violate principles of fair and respectful campaigning.
