Gabriela Women’s Party Rep. Arlene Brosas raised a howl on what she called “uncalled for macho theatrics” of Senator Robin Padilla over his remark on wanting to leave the Senate because he “can’t have women here.”
“We would like to remind Senator Robin Padilla that his job is to address gaps in current laws and not womanizing. Women should not be treated like mere objects that men can use on their spare time,” she said in a statement on Wednesday, Feb. 22.
“If Senator Padilla is still confused on whether to serve the people or continue womanizing in the Senate, we suggest that he contemplate if he is still fit to work as a public servant,” she added.
Padilla is seeking to amend the 1987 Constitution through a Constituent Assembly (Con-Ass) that will only be limited to economic provisions. Two chambers of Congress—Senate and House of Representatives— would separately vote under the Con-Ass.
The actor-turned-politician assured the public that the Charter change (Cha-cha) is not for political purposes.
During the Kapihan sa Manila Bay, Padilla, chair of the Senate Committee on Constitutional Amendments and Revision of Codes, said he was thinking of resigning from his post every day because he can’t have women in the Senate.
Brosas lambasted the senator for his remark, urging him to make to a “public apology” and “uphold his sworn duty as a legislator with utmost devotion and respect to Filipino women.”
She said Padilla’s statement was “unbecoming of a public official” and violated the Code of Conduct for Public Officials, which states that “public officials shall always uphold the public interest over and above personal interest.”
“It reeks of misogyny and toxic masculinity which should not be tolerated in this society,” Brosas stressed.
The lawmaker noted that Padilla had earlier filed a Senate resolution pushing for the country to shift to federalism and have a parliamentary government.
Brosas pointed out this is “a clear political amendment in the Constitution.”