A councilor in the city of Manila is currently being investigated after a female councilor accused him of sexually harassing her during a city council session on Thursday, Oct. 9.

In a speech, Councilor Eunice Castro of Manila's 4th District angrily chastised 4th District Councilor Ryan Ponce for his alleged repeated sexual innuendos on her during multiple occasions.

One of which was when Castro reached out to Ponce for a high-five to congratulate him for his eloquent way of speaking. But instead of shaking her hand, Ponce allegedly poked her palm which is considered as a sexually suggestive gesture.

Castro also disclosed several text messages from Ponce, including one where he was allegedly asking her about a certain type of massage.

Upon searching it online, the councilor found that Ponce was referring to “a massage that focuses on the female genitalia.” 

The councilor also accused Ponce of repeatedly sending lewd comments to her, particularly about her clothing.

“Marami ka ring binurang random message sa akin, katulad ng naka ‘see through ka kanina’, ‘good morning sexy’, ‘inaabangan ko ang suot mo kanina,’ ‘patingin muna ng good morning face mo at pantulog mo para good morning talaga' (You also deleted a lot of random messages you sent to me, like 'you were wearing a see through earlier', 'good morning sexy', 'I was looking forward to what you were wearing earlier', 'let me take a look at your good morning face and your pajamas so it's really a good morning')," Castro said.

Castro ended her speech by urging abused and harassed women to speak up against their abusers.

"Sa mga kapwa ko babae sa Lungsod ng Maynila, sa buong Pilipinas, at sa buong mundo, hindi niyo kailangang magpanggap para tratuhin nang tama. Hindi kayo nag-iisa. Hinihikayat ko kayong lahat: huwag mangamba, huwag magsarili, huwag mag-isa, huwag magkulong, at huwag matakot. Wala tayong dapat ikahiya. Dapat tayong tumindig laban sa mga taong abusado, tinatayuan, tinatawag, at nilalabanan sa tamang paraan (To my fellow women in the City of Manila, throughout the Philippines, and around the world, you don’t have to pretend to be treated right. You are not alone. I encourage you all: don’t remain silent, don’t lock yourselves up, and don’t be afraid. We have nothing to be ashamed of. We must stand up against abusive people, call them out, and fight them the right way)," she stressed.

Following Castro's revelations, Ponce apologized to her, saying that he did not mean to cause her harm or offend her.

“Ako po ay tumayo rito hindi po para ipagtanggol ang aking sarili. Ako po ay tumayo rito para buong pusong, buong kababaang loob na humingi ng paumanhin sa aking nagawa, sa aking nasabi (I stand here not to defend myself. I stand here to wholeheartedly, humbly apologize for what I did, for what I said)," Ponce said.

"Napakasakit po na ang isang tao na napakalapit sa akin ay nasaktan ko at ang kanyang pailya. Kaya muli po ay kukunin ko po ang aking buong kababaang loob ang pagtanggap ng aking pagkakamali at buong puso ko pong hinihingi ang kapatawaran ng aking kasama sa konseho (It hurts so much that I have hurt someone so close to me and her family. So once again, I humbly accept my mistake and wholeheartedly ask for the forgiveness of my fellow council member)," he added.

Manila Vice Mayor Chi Atienza, who also serves as the city council's presiding officer, expressed her support for Castro, adding that the issue has already been referred to the Committee on Ethics for investigation.

“I stand with Councilor Eunice Castro and believe that what she has said during her privilege speech in our regular session today is admirable, as she has fought to have all the abused women’s voices heard. In our society where women are bound to endure their pain in silence, finally, there is a woman who stands for them,” Atienza said, adding that both the accuser and the accused must be given due process.

She assured the public that the city council will not tolerate any form of harassment or abuse both inside and outside the session hall.

The vice mayor explained that the Committee on Ethics and Good Government, as well as the City Legal Office, are already investigating the matter wherein charges under the Civil Service Laws, Code of Conduct for Public Officials, and Republic Act 11313 or Safe Spaces Act, may be filed against those proven guilty.