By Herbert Vego
Poor Rep. Jesus Manuel Angel “Bong” Suntay (4th District, Quezon City): His “holy” name has not shielded him from public condemnation for fantasizing about voluptuous movie star Anne Curtis.
As everyone now knows, it happened on Tuesday while the House Committee on Justice was deliberating on the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte. In trying to justify the death threat of Vice President Sara against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., et al., he said she had no intention of cutting his head off even if she had imagined doing so.
He said that he himself had experienced “desire” for Anne Curtis upon seeing her in a public place and imagined “what could happen.”
“Nag-init ako,” he said in Filipino, which could be translated into English as, “I got aroused.”
It was an analogy, he explained before the committee, to make the point that Vice President Sara might have imagined decapitating Marcos, but with no intention of doing it.
But the vice president herself had clarified, “No joke, no joke.”
That could have boosted the decision of the committee to declare two impeachment complaints against Vice President Duterte sufficient in substance by a vote of 54 in favor and 1 against, thus allowing the impeachment process to move on. That one vote was Suntay’s.
Suntay has apologized while insisting that his statement on the sexy actress could have been taken “out of context.”
Any Filipino knows that “nag-init” is the shortest way to describe sexual arousal, which could be considered “bastos,” or indecent, when uttered in public.
Suntay, though a lawyer, must have forgotten that he was one of the congressmen who voted for the approval of House Bill No. 8794.
Consolidated with Senate Bill No. 1558, it led to the approval of Republic Act No. 11313, or the “Safe Spaces Act” (Bawal Bastos Law), which penalizes gender-based sexual harassment in public spaces, online, workplaces and educational institutions. It covers catcalling, wolf-whistling, malicious gestures, stalking and flashing, with penalties ranging from fines and community service to imprisonment depending on severity.
It is punishable by fines of up to PHP 500,000 or imprisonment.
Then-President Rodrigo Duterte signed it into law on April 17, 2019.
The irony of it all is that former President Duterte himself could have been Suntay’s “role model,” knowing that the former president had gotten away with sexist remarks that his audience applauded.
“Shoot communist rebels in the vagina,” he told an audience of Philippine Army soldiers on Feb. 7, 2018.
Gabriela Representative Emmie De Jesus said the remark “openly encourages violence against women” and “confirms himself as the most dangerous macho-fascist in the government right now.”
I can never forget the well-publicized story about an Australian missionary, Jacqueline Hamill, who was raped and shot to death during a hostage-taking in the Davao penal colony in April 2016.
Duterte, still Davao City mayor at the time, saw Hamill’s lifeless body. On seeing her, he said, “Tiningnan ko yung mukha, ‘tangina parang artista sa Amerika na maganda. Putangina, sayang ito. Ang nagpasok sa isip ko, nirape nila, pinagpilahan nila doon. Nagalit ako kasi nirape, oo isa rin ‘yun . Pero napakaganda, dapat ang mayor muna ang nauna. Sayang.”
-oOo-
PROJECT I-SHED
This writer can’t help but notice the watchful attention that MORE Power President and CEO Roel Castro pays to what more he could do for Iloilo City aside from distribution of electricity.
It is such alertness that prompted him to collaborate with Mayor Raisa Treñas and Boysen Paints in the rehabilitation of 48 public waiting sheds in the city. The project is called Project I-SHED.
Under a memorandum of agreement, MORE Power will shoulder all repair costs and materials. Boysen Philippines will sponsor the paint, and the Iloilo City government will handle maintenance and electrical consumption.
Yes, the waiting shelters need upgrading. Even the ones that still look OK reveal imperfections. Their roofs are so narrow that they could not prevent wind-swept rains from hitting the congested crowd, whether standing or seated.
The prototype shed features a repaired and repainted roof along with newly installed lighting fixtures and benches to provide commuters with safer, more comfortable shelter from the sun and rain.
