Rep. Bong Suntay's Wife Issues Statement Apologizing to Anne Curtis

Quezon City Fourth District Representative Bong Suntay drew flak for his controversial remarks about Anne Curtis during a House committee hearing last Tuesday, March 3. To prove a point he was trying to make, he offered an “analogy,” saying his imagination runs wild at the sight of the actress, but it should not be considered immoral because he did not act on it.

Celebrities and netizens quickly came forward to hold the solon accountable, as his objectifying statements set back the progress that has been made for Filipino women, including his wife and his daughters.

“It was a fictitious scenario,” he clarified in an interview with DZMM. “I stand by that analogy that I made, but if some people were offended, lalo na [it’s] Women’s Month, I’m sorry for those who were offended,” he continued. “But if you read the context talaga, there was nothing malicious in it.”

Sheila Guevara, the congressman’s wife—who is also the sister of theater actress Carla Guevara Laforteza—has spoken up on the matter.

“I want to be unequivocally clear: My children and I do not agree with, and we do not condone, the analogy made by Bong,” Sheila said in a statement posted on Instagram.

She said she is “deeply sorry” to Anne and her family, adding that “no woman should ever be spoken about that way.” Sheila continued, “Please know that my heart goes out to you, and I stand with you.”

The mental health advocate reaffirmed her stance.

“Every woman—regardless of who she is, whose wife or daughter she may be or whatever her background—deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. That is a value I hold deeply and will never compromise on.”

Sheila also took the opportunity to make an “appeal with all sincerity” to leave her and her children out of the situation because they “are not public figures.” To conclude, she asked for respect, saying, “no mother should have to watch her children be targeted and harassed for something they had no part in.”