The House of Representatives on Wednesday formally approved a committee recommendation to reprimand Quezon City 4th District Representative Bong Suntay for disorderly behavior and conduct unbecoming of a lawmaker, following controversial remarks he directed at actress-TV host Anne Curtis during an impeachment proceeding.
With a decisive vote of 263-8 and seven abstentions, members of the chamber adopted the panel’s report, which concluded that Suntay’s statements tarnished the integrity and image of the legislative institution.
4Ps Party-list Representative JC Abalos, who heads the House Committee on Ethics and Privileges, stated that the panel found Suntay
“guilty of disorderly behavior for uttering inappropriate or improper statements… as well as for related statements made on social media that the committee said reflected negatively on the dignity, integrity and reputation of the House of Representatives as an institution.”
To enforce disciplinary action under Section 52(b)(2), Rule IX of the committee’s guidelines, the panel outlined a series of mandatory corrective measures for the lawmaker.
“It also recommended that he render voluntary community service, undergo a gender sensitivity seminar organized by the House committee on women and gender equality, and issue a public apology to Ms. Anne Curtis-Smith and all women in a statement to be read before television or broadcast media,” the committee report stated.
The controversy originated from comments Suntay made during a March 3 session held by the House Committee on Justice regarding the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte.
While deliberating on alleged threats made by Duterte against President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, Suntay invoked a comparison involving the actress.
The analogy sparked immediate backlash from fellow lawmakers and women’s rights organizations, triggering the ethics probe into whether his decorum violated congressional regulations.