Bagong Henerasyon Party-list nominee Redd de Guzman (Facebook)

Bagong Henerasyon (BH) Party-list nominee Redd de Guzman is up in arms over Pasig City congressional candidate lawyer Christian Sia's alleged “disrespectful and offensive” remarks about single mothers.

De Guzman, secretary general of the National Council for Solo Parents Inc. and third nominee of BH Party-list, described these remarks as a trivialization of the real struggles being faced by solo parents, particularly single mothers.

“Solo parents already carry the heavy burden of raising their children on their own. The last thing they deserve is to be ridiculed or used as the punchline of distasteful jokes just to earn votes,” De Guzman said in a statement Thursday, April 3.

In a recorded speech that has since gone viral online, Sia was caught during one of his campaign sorties saying: “Para sa mga solo parent ng Pasig, minsan sa isang taon ang mga solo parent na babae na nireregla pa—‘Nay malinaw nireregla pa—at nalulungkot, minsan sa isang taon pwedeng sumiping ho sa akin. ‘Yun hong interesado magpalista na sa mesa sa gilid.”

(To the solo parents of Pasig, to those solo mothers who still get their period once a year--I want to clarify, those with their period--and who get sad, once a year they can have sex with me. Those who are interested can list up on that table on the side.)

De Guzman stressed that jokes targeting solo moms—especially those laced with sexual innuendo—have no place in responsible discourse, let alone in political campaigns.

“Hindi ito nakakatawa (This isn't funny). It reflects a serious lack of respect for women and solo parents who work hard every day for their families. Public service demands decency and sensitivity, not this kind of behavior,” he added.

De Guzman said candidates should use their platforms to offer real solutions—not to demean and objectify people.

“Hindi dapat ginagamit ang mga solo parent bilang paksa ng kabastusan para lang makakuha ng atensyon (Solo parents shouldn't be used as topic for lewdness just to get attention). We call on all candidates to uphold respect, empathy, and dignity in their campaigns,” he said.

BH Party-list, through House Deputy Minority Leader Bernadette Herrera, is the principal mover in pushing for the long-delayed implementation of Republic Act (RA) No. 11861 or the Expanded Solo Parents Welfare Act. 

Despite being signed into law two years ago, the law remained largely unimplemented—until BH took decisive action to ensure its rollout for the benefit of solo parents nationwide.

“We will continue to speak out and stand up for the rights and dignity of solo parents. They deserve support—not insults,” De Guzman said.