Actress and TV host Anne Curtis broke her silence on Saturday over lewd remarks made about her by Quezon City 4th District Representative Bong Suntay during a House Committee on Justice hearing.
In a statement posted on social media, Anne stressed she spoke up not for “revenge or drama,” but to stand up for women watching and future generations.
“Mr. Suntay, I won’t spend much time on you… Now, what I will carry is the responsibility to say clearly, on behalf of every woman who has ever been spoken this way: We deserve better. Not just now, while this topic is a hot issue, but EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.”
The controversy erupted after Suntay cited Anne in an analogy about Vice President Sara Duterte’s alleged “imagination” regarding a hypothetical threat to President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
“Alam mo minsan nasa Shangri-La ako, nakita ko si Anne Curtis, ang ganda-ganda pala niya… na-imagine ko na lang kung anong p’wedeng mangyari. Pero syempre hanggang imagination na lang ’yun,” said Suntay.
Suntay later defended his statement as non-sexual and suggested Anne should take it as a compliment.
His attempt at justification, howvwer, drew widespread condemnation from the public, celebrities, and political figures. Anne’s younger sister Jasmine Curtis-Smith criticized Suntay on social media, saying: “A compliment? Ang dami ko gustong sabihin! Kadiri po kayo.”
Journalist Karen Davila called the remark “misogynistic” and “disrespectful,” while Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte urged Suntay to issue a proper apology. Gabriela Party-List representative Sarah Elago labeled the statements “sexist” and “toxic.”
