Castro slams Suntay, says ‘sexual innuendo’ not a compliment

By Darryl John Esguerra, Philippine News Agency

WOMEN POWER. Clad in purple, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro holds a press briefing in Malacañang on Wednesday (March 4, 2026), addressing issues including the recent controversial sexist remarks of a lawmaker. Purple is widely recognized as the international color for women, symbolizing justice, dignity, and equality. (Photo: PNA)

MANILA – Malacañang on Wednesday rebuked remarks made by a lawmaker that drew fierce backlash, warning that publicly expressed “fantasies” about women may constitute sexual harassment under the law.

Palace Press Officer Claire Castro responded to questions regarding controversial statements attributed to a congressman, saying such remarks go beyond personal opinion.

“Kapag ito’y ibinulalas niya at ipinagmalaki sa publiko, ang kanyang pagpapantasya sa isang babae (When he blurts it out and even boasts about his fantasy about a woman in public), that is definitely a sexual innuendo,” Castro said in a press briefing.

“Hindi po ito masasabing walang krimen. The mere fact na sinabi niya ito in public, to the public, pertaining to a particular person. It is already covered by Safe Spaces Act (We can’t say there is no crime committed. The mere fact that he said it in public, to the public, pertaining to a particular person, it is already covered by the Safe Spaces Act),” she added.

Republic Act 11313 or the Safe Spaces Act penalizes gender-based sexual harassment in streets, public spaces, workplaces and online platforms.

Quezon City 4th District Rep. Bong Suntay has come under fire for saying during Tuesday’s hearing of the House justice committee that he felt “desires” after seeing actress Anne Curtis in person.

Asked if she was personally offended, Castro, a lawyer by profession, said she was “offended on behalf of all women.”

“Dapat ba bang ipagpasalamat na ang lalaki ay nag-iisip ng malaswa sa iyong pagkababae? (Should a woman be grateful that a man is thinking lewd thoughts about her?),” she asked.

Wearing purple, which is widely recognized as the international color for women, Castro also questioned whether an apology would suffice.

“Nagawa niya na eh. Consummated na po. Nakita na po natin kung ano ang nasa isip niya (He already did it. It has been consummated. We have already seen what is in his mind),” she said.

She ended the briefing with a broader message this Women’s Month.

“Kababaihan hindi dapat ginagawang paksa ng malaswa na pananalita. Let us end the culture of objectifying women… Hindi kami babae lang, babae kami (Women should not be made subjects of lewd remarks. Let us end the culture of objectifying women… We are not just ‘female,’ we are women).”

Apologize

Meanwhile, Senator Risa Hontiveros urged Suntay to apologize for the “repulsive” remarks against Curtis, saying there was “absolutely no excuse” for the comments.

She said sexual comments and suggestions may constitute gender-based harassment under the Safe Spaces Act, also known as the “Bawal Bastos Law”, which she authored.

The senator added that it was “more troubling” that Suntay continued to insist that there was nothing wrong with his statement, reminding the lawmaker that he is duty-bound to uphold the law.

“Huwag nating hayaang maging normal ang kabastusan. Patuloy tayong manindigan para sa kababaihan (Let us not allow vulgarity to become normal. Let us continue to stand up for women),” Hontiveros said, as the country marks National Women’s Month.

Accountability

Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte, meanwhile, called for accountability from Suntay over his “sexist and inappropriate” remarks.

In a statement issued Tuesday evening, Belmonte urged Suntay to issue a proper apology, saying his comments contradict the culture of respect and empowerment that he helped institutionalize in Quezon City.

“It is truly disappointing to witness Congressman Suntay’s casual display of objectification, on Women’s Month no less. But what makes this incident especially troubling is the fact that, as a former member of our City Council, he was part of the body that passed our Gender and Development Code,” she said.

Belmonte said Suntay was the majority floor leader of the city council when the Bawal Bastos Ordinance, which declares that lewd, malicious, and demeaning remarks and acts have no place in public life, was passed.

The city government instituted this policy in 2016, ahead of the enactment of the Republic Act 11313 or the National Safe Spaces Act, also known as the “Bawal Bastos” in 2019.

“His words directly contradict the spirit of empowerment that we have worked hard to build here in Quezon City,” Belmonte said.

“Our policies are a declaration of our city’s values — of what we stand for and what we refuse to tolerate. We expect our elected officials to be the first to live by them.”

Actress Jasmine Curtis-Smith, Anne’s sister, said the controversy is not about a single female celebrity but part of a broader pattern of objectification faced by women in male-dominated spaces.

She said publicly narrating personal “desire” about a woman in an official forum reinforces a culture that treats women as spectacle rather than as individuals 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,” Curtis-Smith said in a separate statement.

“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,” she added.