Women leaders on Friday, March 6, filed a complaint-affidavit before the Office of the Ombudsman against Quezon City 4th District Rep. Jesus 'Bong' Suntay over alleged sexist remarks about actress Anne Curtis made during a impeachment hearing.

Members of World March of Women – Pilipinas marched to the Ombudsman office, two days ahead of International Women's Day, to file the complaint citing supposed violations of the Safe Spaces Act, the Magna Carta of Women, and the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.

The complaint stemmed from remarks made by Suntay during a House committee hearing tackling impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte.

During the hearing, the Quezon City lawmaker cited Curtis in an analogy about “desire” and imagination.

“Alam niyo minsan, minsan nasa Shangri-La ako, nakita ko si Anne Curtis, ang ganda-ganda pala niya. You know, may desire sa loob ko na, nag-init talaga, na-imagine ko na lang kung ano’ng pwedeng mangyari pero siyempre hanggang imagination na lang ’yon. Pero ‘di naman siguro ako pwedeng kasuhan kung ano ang na-imagine ko eh (You know, once, I was in Shangri-La, I saw Anne Curtis, she was so beautiful. You know, there was a desire inside me, it really got hot, I could just imagine what could happen but of course that was just imagination. But I guess I can't be sued for what I imagined),” he said.

According to the complainants, the remarks were inappropriate for a public official speaking during official government proceedings and may constitute sexist language that undermines women’s dignity.

Carrying placards and banners, members of the women’s organization marched to the Ombudsman office to formally submit the complaint-affidavit, calling for accountability from public officials over statements they say perpetuate gender-based harassment and discrimination.

Suntay later apologized to Curtis and to others who were offended by his remarks, saying he did not intend any malice.

Suntay also clarified that the example he gave was a “fictitious situation,” noting that the only true part of his statement was his compliment on Curtis’ beauty. He said he had only seen the actress on television.

The Office of the Ombudsman is expected to evaluate the complaint to determine whether sufficient grounds exist to pursue administrative charges against the lawmaker.