09/03/2026
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐒𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐄𝐎𝐏𝐋𝐄 𝐈𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐀 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐄 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐒𝐄𝐗𝐈𝐒𝐌
The Students’ Rights and Welfare (STRAW) Committee firmly condemns the sexist and objectifying remarks made by Rep. B**g Suntay during the House Committee on Justice hearing on March 3, 2026. It is particularly egregious that these remarks were made as our nation begins the celebration of National Women’s Month, a time dedicated to honoring the strength, achievements, and rights of women. This disturbing trend of misogyny is further highlighted by a recent report, which detailed the derogatory commentary made by Atty. Ferdinand Topacio against actress Jasmine Curtis-Smith and others. By reducing the professional social media presence of women like Ivana Alawi to mere objects for "lust" rather than for art or endorsement, Topacio reinforces the same harmful stereotypes we see mirrored in our legislative halls.
As an organization dedicated to the protection and empowerment of the student body, we believe that the standards of conduct within our national institutions directly influence the safety and culture of our own academic spaces. When a public official or a prominent legal figure uses their platform to reference women as objects of "imagination" or spectacles for views, it is not a harmless joke; it is a direct assault on the dignity of all women and a dismissal of their right to be seen as professionals and individuals.
We refuse to accept the normalization of language that reduces women to objects for the male gaze, especially during a month meant to champion their empowerment. Such behavior from a lawmaker or a high-profile commentator is not only shameful but fundamentally unbecoming of any individual who influences public discourse. By allowing these comments to pass without challenge, we risk validating a culture where harassment is trivialized and professional spaces from radio booths to the House of the People are transformed into venues for locker-room talk. STRAW demands that Rep. B**g Suntay and those who echo such sentiments issue a public apology and take full responsibility for their words.
Our advocacy for students’ rights is inseparable from our fight for gender equality. We believe that every individual deserves to exist in a space, whether it be a classroom, a courtroom, or a digital platform, where their humanity is prioritized over their appearance. In this month of empowerment, we call on our national leaders and influencers to uphold a higher standard of decency and to remember that sexism has no place in a society striving for progress. We remain vigilant in our commitment to ensuring that respect is the baseline, not the exception, in every facet of our society.
