Topacio defends Suntay: Critics ‘laughably ignorant' of Constitution

As Quezon City Rep. Bong Suntay is facing a public backlash after a controversial remark about actress Anne Curtis during a congressional hearing, his, lawyer, Ferdinand Topacio, insists any criminal charges would be “constitutionally baseless.”

In a statement Sunday, Topacio said those seeking to file complaints against Suntay are “laughably ignorant” of the Constitution. 

He cited lawmakers’ immunity for statements made during legislative proceedings, pointing specifically to Section 11, Article VI: “No member shall be questioned nor be held liable in any other place for any speech or debate in Congress or in any committee thereof.”

The uproar began after around 100 members of the World March of Women-Pilipinas filed complaints with the Office of the Ombudsman. 

They accused Suntay of violating the Safe Spaces Act (RA 11313), the Magna Carta of Women (RA 9710), and the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials (RA 6713).

The complaints focus on Suntay’s remarks during a March 3 House Committee on Justice hearing on impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte.

In his remarks that quickly went viral online, Suntay referenced Curtis in a sexually suggestive analogy, saying he imagined “what could happen” after seeing her, but insisted it was “only in my imagination.”

Women’s rights advocates condemned the comment as inappropriate for a congressional proceeding, calling it misogynistic and a poor example for public officials. 

Meanwhile, Topacio emphasized that even if the remarks were offensive, the law protects Suntay from legal consequences for statements made in Congress.

The controversy has reignited debates over the limits of free speech and accountability for lawmakers, especially when public figures are referenced in provocative or personal terms during official proceedings. 

Following her husband’s controversial comments during a House hearing, Suntay’s wife, Sheila Guevara, apologized to Curtis.

Guevara took to Instagram on 5 March to clarify her stance. 

She emphasized that she and their children do not agree with or condone her husband’s remarks, and denied reports that she laughed at his statement.

“I want to be unequivocally clear: My children & I do not agree with, and we do not condone, the analogy made by Bong,” she wrote. 

Sheila also expressed regret to Anne Curtis and her family over the incident.