Actress Anne Curtis has finally broken her silence over the controversial remark made by QC Rep. Bong Suntay about her.
Suntay, a representative of Quezon City’s 4th District in the House of Representatives, made the comment during a hearing about impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte last March 3, 2026.
Photo: DZMM via ABS-CBN News/YouTube and Anne Curtis/Instagram
While trying to establish a point, Suntay made the following remark:
“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.”
Some members of the committee were quick to react, with San Juan representative Ysabel Maria Zamora making a motion to have Suntay’s remarks stricken from hearing records. Manila representative Bienvenido Abante Jr. supported this, also making a request to the chair.
Suntay, however, stood by his comment saying, “There is nothing sexual in what I said, nothing immoral. It’s just, I said, I imagined something. I think there is nothing wrong.”
The comment went quickly viral, with lawmakers, public officials, and celebrities condemning Suntay’s behavior. Anne Curtis’ sister, actress Jasmine Curtis-Smith, was also quick to defend her sibling in a statement posted on her social media.
In a DZMM interview on March 4, Suntay made an apology saying:
“For those who found the statement offensive, then ako ay humihingi ng pasensya sa kanila. But that was not the intention. My intention was to drive a point. In fact, nung nasa hearing, alam mo ay sinabi to strike it off the record. Sabi ko wag nyo i-strike off the record. Because that statement was made to drive a point. Ayoko nga paalis sa record eh. So I stand by the statement that I made, that analogy that I made. But if some people were offended, lalo na Women’s Month kagaya ng sinasabi mo, I’m sorry for those who were offended, but if you read the context talaga, there was nothing malicious in it. It depended kung nilagyan ng malice nung nagbasa.”
After a few days of silence, today, March 7, Anne Curtis took to her social media to finally speak out about the controversial remark made about her.
Anne wrote:
“Hi. It took me a while to speak up. I was focused on what mattered most, being reunited with my family, who were stranded in the Middle East and getting home safely. I am home now, and now I’m ready to say what needs to be said. Not for revenge or drama, but because remaining silent would be wrong…for me, and for every woman watching.
By now, many of you have heard the remarks made by Mr. Bong Suntay. A vulgar, sexualized analogy. My name disgustingly used without my consent, in the wrong context, and more importantly, without an ounce of respect.
My initial reaction was one of shock. I was hurt, disturbed by how perverted it was, and angry. But now my thoughts are clear. What happened to me isn’t rare. It happens to women every day… in offices, in group chats, in rooms where men think no one is listening, or worse, in rooms where they know everyone is and simply don’t care. What made this incident different is that it came from someone holding public office.
Mr. Suntay, I won’t spend much time on you. Not because what you did was small, but because this was never really about you. Since you used me as an example, let me use you as one too. You’ve become the poster boy of something much bigger: a culture that still thinks it’s acceptable to talk about women this way. Worse, one that tolerates it from our leaders. As they say, misogyny dressed up as a joke is still misogyny.
You hold a seat paid for by taxpayers. Women are taxpayers. I am a taxpayer. We are not props in your commentary.
I do not accept your non-apology. But I also will not carry this as a personal wound. I do, however, accept your wife’s apology. Because as a wife and a mother myself, I know exactly what she must be feeling – that particular kind of embarrassment, that helplessness, that quiet grief of watching someone choose so poorly in public.
To her, and to your children: this is not your shame. Please know that. And I hope everyone reading this extends them the same grace. They did nothing wrong, and they deserve to be left out of it entirely.
Now, what I will carry is the responsibility to say clearly, on behalf of every woman who has ever been spoken about this way: We deserve better. Not just now, while this topic is a hot issue, but EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. Not just from Mr. Suntay. From all of it. From the casual sexism disguised as clever remarks. From public officials who forget who they serve. From a culture that still asks women to laugh it off, to not be so sensitive and to pick their battles.
Every time a remark like this goes unchallenged, we lower the bar for what leadership looks like. Every time a woman is reduced to a cheap remark by someone holding a position of public trust, and nothing happens…we tell the next generation of women exactly where they stand.
That is what I refuse to accept.
Any leader who cannot respect women does not understand leadership at all. Respecting women, after all, is simply basic decency.
To the ethics committee: I hope you do not let this pass. The integrity of public office depends on the standards it upholds. I will be seeking legal advice and will consider all my options looking forward.
I cannot believe how many misogynists have revealed themselves the past couple of days. To everyone who used their voice to stand up for us and fight for our respect, both men and women, THANK YOU.
And if anyone is wondering why Women’s Month still matters – this is exactly why.”
Anne has urged the ethics committee to not let the incident pass, and noted that she will be “seeking legal advice.”
The controversy also happened to fall on the month of March, when Women’s Month is celebrated in the Philippines.
Leave your thoughts and comments in the comment section below.
ALSO READ: Bong Suntay’s Wife Apologizes to Anne Curtis: “I understand if words alone feel insufficient”
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Anne Curtis Breaks Silence Over Rep. Bong Suntay’s Comment, Urges Ethics Committee to “Not Let This Pass”
Actress Anne Curtis has finally broken her silence over the controversial remark made by QC Rep. Bong Suntay about her.
Suntay, a representative of Quezon City’s 4th District in the House of Representatives, made the comment during a hearing about impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte last March 3, 2026.
Photo: DZMM via ABS-CBN News/YouTube and Anne Curtis/Instagram
While trying to establish a point, Suntay made the following remark:
“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.”
Some members of the committee were quick to react, with San Juan representative Ysabel Maria Zamora making a motion to have Suntay’s remarks stricken from hearing records. Manila representative Bienvenido Abante Jr. supported this, also making a request to the chair.
Suntay, however, stood by his comment saying, “There is nothing sexual in what I said, nothing immoral. It’s just, I said, I imagined something. I think there is nothing wrong.”
The comment went quickly viral, with lawmakers, public officials, and celebrities condemning Suntay’s behavior. Anne Curtis’ sister, actress Jasmine Curtis-Smith, was also quick to defend her sibling in a statement posted on her social media.
In a DZMM interview on March 4, Suntay made an apology saying:
“For those who found the statement offensive, then ako ay humihingi ng pasensya sa kanila. But that was not the intention. My intention was to drive a point. In fact, nung nasa hearing, alam mo ay sinabi to strike it off the record. Sabi ko wag nyo i-strike off the record. Because that statement was made to drive a point. Ayoko nga paalis sa record eh. So I stand by the statement that I made, that analogy that I made. But if some people were offended, lalo na Women’s Month kagaya ng sinasabi mo, I’m sorry for those who were offended, but if you read the context talaga, there was nothing malicious in it. It depended kung nilagyan ng malice nung nagbasa.”
After a few days of silence, today, March 7, Anne Curtis took to her social media to finally speak out about the controversial remark made about her.
Anne wrote:
“Hi. It took me a while to speak up. I was focused on what mattered most, being reunited with my family, who were stranded in the Middle East and getting home safely. I am home now, and now I’m ready to say what needs to be said. Not for revenge or drama, but because remaining silent would be wrong…for me, and for every woman watching.
By now, many of you have heard the remarks made by Mr. Bong Suntay. A vulgar, sexualized analogy. My name disgustingly used without my consent, in the wrong context, and more importantly, without an ounce of respect.
My initial reaction was one of shock. I was hurt, disturbed by how perverted it was, and angry. But now my thoughts are clear. What happened to me isn’t rare. It happens to women every day… in offices, in group chats, in rooms where men think no one is listening, or worse, in rooms where they know everyone is and simply don’t care. What made this incident different is that it came from someone holding public office.
Mr. Suntay, I won’t spend much time on you. Not because what you did was small, but because this was never really about you. Since you used me as an example, let me use you as one too. You’ve become the poster boy of something much bigger: a culture that still thinks it’s acceptable to talk about women this way. Worse, one that tolerates it from our leaders. As they say, misogyny dressed up as a joke is still misogyny.
You hold a seat paid for by taxpayers. Women are taxpayers. I am a taxpayer. We are not props in your commentary.
I do not accept your non-apology. But I also will not carry this as a personal wound. I do, however, accept your wife’s apology. Because as a wife and a mother myself, I know exactly what she must be feeling – that particular kind of embarrassment, that helplessness, that quiet grief of watching someone choose so poorly in public.
To her, and to your children: this is not your shame. Please know that. And I hope everyone reading this extends them the same grace. They did nothing wrong, and they deserve to be left out of it entirely.
Now, what I will carry is the responsibility to say clearly, on behalf of every woman who has ever been spoken about this way: We deserve better. Not just now, while this topic is a hot issue, but EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. Not just from Mr. Suntay. From all of it. From the casual sexism disguised as clever remarks. From public officials who forget who they serve. From a culture that still asks women to laugh it off, to not be so sensitive and to pick their battles.
Every time a remark like this goes unchallenged, we lower the bar for what leadership looks like. Every time a woman is reduced to a cheap remark by someone holding a position of public trust, and nothing happens…we tell the next generation of women exactly where they stand.
That is what I refuse to accept.
Any leader who cannot respect women does not understand leadership at all. Respecting women, after all, is simply basic decency.
To the ethics committee: I hope you do not let this pass. The integrity of public office depends on the standards it upholds. I will be seeking legal advice and will consider all my options looking forward.
I cannot believe how many misogynists have revealed themselves the past couple of days. To everyone who used their voice to stand up for us and fight for our respect, both men and women, THANK YOU.
And if anyone is wondering why Women’s Month still matters – this is exactly why.”
Anne has urged the ethics committee to not let the incident pass, and noted that she will be “seeking legal advice.”
The controversy also happened to fall on the month of March, when Women’s Month is celebrated in the Philippines.
Leave your thoughts and comments in the comment section below.
ALSO READ: Bong Suntay’s Wife Apologizes to Anne Curtis: “I understand if words alone feel insufficient”
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About The Author
Wife. Mama. Managing Editor of WhenInManila.com. Connect with her on Instagram: @nicvillaluz
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