9 women sue QC lawmaker over ‘lewd’ remarks about Anne Curtis
Nine women, including members of the World March of Women, filed a letter serving as a complaint-affidavit on Friday against Quezon City Rep. Bong Suntay, accusing him of violating several laws, such as Republic Act No. 11313, or the Safe Spaces Act and its implementing rules and regulations.
The charges before the Ombudsman stemmed from Suntay’s supposedly lewd remarks about actress and television host Anne Curtis during the impeachment proceedings at the House of Representatives.
The other laws that he allegedly violated were RA 9710, or the Magna Carta of Women, and RA 6713, or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.
At the same time, Suntay, a lawyer, may have also violated the Code of Professional Responsibility and Accountability (CPRA), or the ethical code for Filipino lawyers.
In their letter, the nine complainants asked Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla to also impose “appropriate penalties” on Suntay following his previous statements that caught the public’s attention, with one government agency describing it as a “declaration of predatory desire.”
The letter-complaint cited Suntay’s remarks during the House justice committee’s deliberations on the impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte.
Suntay apologized for his remarks, especially “if some people were offended,” but stood by his “analogy” that he claimed was not malicious.
Suntay is also facing a complaint before the House ethics committee over the same remarks.
At least 3 violations
In the letter, the nine complainants explained that the Safe Spaces Act penalizes and declares as unlawful acts, including cursing, wolf-whistling, catcalling, leering and intrusive gazing, taunting, pursing, unwanted invitations and misogynistic slurs on one’s appearance.
They also noted that the Magna Carta of Women clearly states that government officials, as the primary duty-bearers, should refrain from discriminating against women and violating their rights and protect them from discrimination and other forms of violation of their rights.
As for the CPRA, the complainants said the ethical code for lawyers states that a lawyer should not behave in a scandalous manner, whether in public or private, “to the discredit of the legal profession.”
They slammed Suntay as well for “gaslighting” the public when he supposedly made an apology to Curtis over his remarks.
“Human rights mores and norms clearly establish that reducing women to objects of male desire is discriminatory to women,” they said.
“He (Suntay) said that ‘inappropriateness’ depends on the thinking of other people, gaslighting people who might be ‘offended,’ instead of acknowledging the harm to people, especially women and retraumatization that victims of violence against women feel.”
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