Misamis gov draws backlash over nursing scholarship joke

Misamis Oriental Gov. Peter “Senior Pedro” Unabia, who is seeking reelection in the May polls, has drawn widespread criticism after making sexist jokes about women in the nursing profession and launching a veiled anti-Moro pitch targeting his son's rival.

“Only for beautiful women”

In a campaign rally held in Villanueva town, Unabia made light of his administration’s nursing scholarship program, claiming it was “only for beautiful women” and not open to men or "unattractive" females.

“Kining nursing [scholarship], para ra ni sa mga babaye, dili pwede ang lalaki. And, kato pa gyud mga babaye nga gwapa,” he said in local dialect.

“Dili man pwede ang maot, kay kung luya na ang mga lalaki, atubangon sa pangit nga nurse, naunsa naman, mosamot atong sakit ana.”

(This nursing scholarship is only for women, not for men. And only for beautiful women. It won’t work if they’re unattractive because if a male patient is already weak and an ugly nurse attends to him, his condition could worsen.)

A video of Unabia’s remarks went viral after being posted by youth advocate Cyrus Arado-Ubay Valcueba, who condemned the governor’s comments as both sexist and racist.

“It’s so sad to think that our current leader is a sexist and racist,” Valcueba wrote. “Imagine, there’s a nursing scholarship in the province but you can’t avail of it if you don’t meet the governor’s standards,” Valcueba wrote.

Anti-Muslim rhetoric

On top of the sexist tirade, Unabia also insinuated that a victory by his son Christian's political rival — whose wife is a Maranao — could lead to security instability in Misamis Oriental. He warned supporters of a possible "Maranao domination," likening the situation to violence in the Bangsamoro region.

His campaign flashed images of tragic incidents, including the 2019 Jolo cathedral bombing and the 2023 Mindanao State University gym attack during Mass, to fuel fear among voters.

“Mosugot mo ani?” Unabia asked the crowd. (“Do you want this to happen here?”)

Unabia later issued a statement saying the viral video was a “distorted version” of what he said and claimed his words were taken out of context by political opponents.

“Unfortunately, my political rivals have capitalized on this and blown my statements out of proportion, taking them out of context,” he said. 

“We sincerely apologize, as it was never our intention to cause offense or to undermine the rich history, identity, and dignity of the Maranao people,” he added.

Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chair George Garcia has condemned the remarks and announced that the poll body will issue a show cause order against Unabia.

“Sexist remarks and gender discrimination have no place in a civilized society, more so in a political campaign,” Garcia told reporters.

“We will not stop issuing show cause orders until somebody is punished.”

Under Comelec Resolution No. 11116, issued on Feb. 19, gender-based harassment — including sexist slurs and sexual jokes — is considered an election offense punishable by up to six years of imprisonment, perpetual disqualification from public office, and revocation of voting rights.