QC Mayor Belmonte Slams Congressman Suntay for 'Bastos' Remarks About Anne Curtis During Impeachment Hearing

Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte is demanding an apology from Rep. Bong Suntay after the congressman made lewd comments about actress Anne Curtis during the House impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte on Tuesday — and it happened during Women's Month pa.

During the hearing, Suntay was defending Duterte's controversial statements when he decided to make his point with a very personal example. "One time, I saw Anne Curtis, and she was so beautiful. I had a desire inside me, I was heated. I imagined what could happen, but of course that stays in the imagination," Suntay said on the record. "But surely I can't be charged for what I imagined."

The remark was so inappropriate that House justice panel chairperson Belle Zamora of San Juan immediately moved to strike it from the record, which fellow lawmakers quickly approved via a vote. But Suntay insisted he did nothing wrong, doubling down even as his colleagues pushed back.

Mayor Belmonte didn't hold back. She noted that Suntay's remarks "directly contradict the spirit of empowerment that we have worked hard to build" in Quezon City. The mayor pointed out the irony that Suntay himself, as a former city council member, had been part of the body that passed QC's Gender and Development Code and served as majority leader when the Bawal Bastos Ordinance was enacted — a policy that specifically bans lewd and demeaning remarks in public life.

"We expect our elected officials to be the first to live by them," Belmonte said, calling the incident "truly disappointing" and a "casual display of objectification." She urged Suntay to take full accountability, issue a proper apology, and conduct himself with the dignity his office demands. "Our people deserve no less."

Source: GMA News