Women’s rights advocates on Friday filed criminal and administrative complaints before the Office of the Ombudsman against Quezon City 4th District Rep. Jesus “Bong” Suntay over his alleged sexist and lewd remarks during a House impeachment hearing against Vice President Sara Duterte.
According to a report by RH Val Gonzales, nearly 100 members of World March of Women (WMW)–Pilipinas staged a protest at the Office of the Ombudsman while formally lodging criminal and administrative complaints against Suntay.
The complaints cite alleged violations of the Safe Spaces Act (Republic Act No. 11313), the Magna Carta of Women (Republic Act No. 9710), and the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees (Republic Act No. 6713).
The protesters marched from the Philippine Children’s Medical Center (PCMC) to the Ombudsman’s office, carrying placards and a mock jail cell to symbolize their call for accountability.
The group carrying placards that read “Hold misogynists accountable!” the protesters chanted “Mga bastos, panagutin!” as they arrived at the Ombudsman office to submit their complaints.
Leaders of WMW-Philippines said the complaint stemmed from what they described as “unacceptable and sexist remarks” allegedly made by Suntay about actress Anne Curtis.
"Hindi po natural ang pambabastos, hindi po ito bahagi ng kulturang Pilipino. Nais po naming sabihin na hindi po katanggap-tanggap ang pambabastos na ginawa ni Bong Suntay sa aktor na nabanggit," one of the leader of the group said.
"Nais din naming sabihin na ito ay dapat kondenahin, labanan at dapat naming sabihin na dapat siya ay managot sa mga batas dahil siya ay isang opisyal ng ating pamahalaanhindi pwedeng sabihin natin na tanggapin na lang ang paliwanag niya na siya ay gumagawa lamang ng analogy at ito ay pure imagination. Ito po ay kanyang sinabi, narinig ng marami at dahil dito siya ay may ginawang krimen kaya dapat dito ay managot si Bong Suntay," she added.
The group said that a mere apology and the removal of the remarks from the congressional record are "not enough" to address the issue. They argued that the statements should not simply be erased but should instead be met with accountability.
According to the group, the remarks reflect what they described as a pattern of misogynistic rhetoric in politics, alleging that Suntay appeared to be emulating the style of former President Rodrigo Duterte, whom they criticized for making offensive remarks toward women during his time in office.
UPDATE: Naghain na ang World March of Women - Pilipinas ng kasong paglabag sa Safe Spaces Act (RA 11313), Magna Carta of Women (RA 9710), at Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees (RA 6713) laban kay Rep. Bong Suntay.
— DZRH NEWS (@dzrhnews) March 6, 2026
Kinasuhan din ng grupo ang… pic.twitter.com/0WmblcZUBs
During their program outside the Ombudsman’s office, the group also called for broader reforms and urged authorities to hold accountable government officials allegedly involved in corruption and misconduct.
WMW-Philippines said the filing of the complaint was part of their continuing campaign to defend women’s rights and challenge misogyny in public office. The protest action coincided with activities marking International Women’s Day.
Earlier, Gabriela Party-list led the filing of an ethics complaint against Suntay following his lewd analogy involving the actress.
Suntay earlier issued his apology after drawing criticism, admitting that his choice of example was inappropriate.
