Gabriela asks SC to sanction Christian Sia over sexual joke
Pasig congressional candidate Ian Sia. File Photo.
MANILA, Philippines — Women’s group Gabriela on Monday sent a letter to the Supreme Court formally requesting sanctions against Pasig congressional candidate, lawyer Christian ‘Ian’ Sia, over his sexual jokes on single mothers.
In its three-page letter addressed to Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo and all Justices of the high court, Gabriela accused Sia of violating multiple provisions of the Code of Professional Responsibility and Accountability (CPRA), particularly those prohibiting gender-based harassment and requiring lawyers to maintain dignified conduct.
“It is in this regard that we are writing this Honorable Court to respectfully look into the incident involving Atty. Sia and to act on the matter by imposing any disciplinary action as the Honorable Court may deem fit and proper,” the letter read.
“We are aware that complaints against members of the Bar require certain rules and procedures. However, we believe that the Supreme Court may motu proprio act on the matter as It has the power to regulate the admission to and the practice of law under Section 5(5), Article VIII of the 1987 Constitution,” it added.
`Menstruating ones’
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All this developed after Sia, during a campaign speech in Pasig, jokingly offered himself to single mothers, particularly, “menstruating” ones.
His exact words were: “Para sa mga solo parent ng Pasig, minsan sa isang taon, ang mga solo parent na babae, na nireregla pa, nay malinaw na nireregla pa, at nalulungkot, minsan sa isang taon, pwedeng sumiping ho sa akin. Yun hong interesado, magpalista na rito sa mesa sa gilid. [For the solo parents of Pasig, once a year, the solo parents who are still menstruating, clearly still menstruating, and are feeling sad, once a year, you can have sex with me. Those who are interested, sign up here at the table on the side.]”
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Candidate misogyny
In a separate statement, Gabriela noted that Sia’s case is not an isolated case of candidate misogyny during election season.
The group pointed out that it had just condemned another politician, Misamis Oriental Governor Peter ‘Sr. Pedro’ Unabia, for sexist remarks just several days ago. There he claimed that only beautiful women should be nurses to help male patients recover.
“Misogyny is never a joke, we have been saying for a long time that during the campaign, we condemn the continued use of women as entertainment, as the subject of demeaning jokes that have huge implications for women,” Gabriela Secretary General Clarice Palce, in chance interview, said in a mixture of Filipino and Engish.
“Women play a major role in elections, in our society, and should not be made into jokes and especially not be made into sex objects by the politicians running in this election,” she added.
