Cheyenne Suarez

Suntay's sorry a non-apology, says Zamora says, but nixes ethics complaint

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David Dizon

ABS-CBN News

<p>Congressman Bong’s Suntay statement <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/3/4/suntay-says-sorry-for-nag-init-remark-but-stands-by-analogy-0845">saying sorry</a> for those offended by his lewd remarks towards actress-host Anne Curtis is a non-apology, according to the female lawmaker who first called out Suntay&#x27;s remarks.</p><p>“That&#x27;s the way people apologize when they mean a non-apology, when they don&#x27;t mean to apologize. When you apologize, dapat walang &#x27;pero&#x27;. Walang &#x27;but&#x27;. Walang condition,” San Juan Rep. Ysabel Maria Zamora said in a DZMM interview.</p><p>Zamora said she was shocked after hearing Suntay’s remarks near the tail-end of Tuesday’s justice committee hearing on the impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte.</p><p>“Alam niyo sa totoo nalito ako, medyo na blanko ko. Why am I hearing these things? Nairita ako kasi impeachment, bakit ko narinig ang pangalan ng artista? Bakit may imagination? Alam niyo ang feeling na medyo na blanko kayo. This is not the right time to be hearing that,” she said.</p><p>She said she immediately turned to her seatmate, Bicol Saro party-list Rep. Terry Ridon, who urged her to speak up.</p><p>Zamora said she moved to strike out Suntay’s remarks because “these are words that should not appear in the records of Congress.”</p><p>“We are public servants. We were elected to serve the people and these words should not come from a congressman&#x27;s mouth. The records of Congress are official documents representing the government, di ba po? Hindi dapat ganun ang nanggagaling sa bibig ng isang mambabatas.”</p><p>She added she will not file an ethics complaint against Suntay but said other people are more than welcome to do so. “Well, some people say that but honestly for me, I have so many other things to focus on. But other people are more than welcome to file that.”</p><p>Zamora said she had to speak out against Suntay’s remarks considering that she is one of the representatives of the House of Representatives at the United Nations Conference on Women next week.</p><p>“I had to say it, Women&#x27;s Month po ngayon, ka-uumpisa pa lang nga and we should always empower women, and hindi po ito nakakatulong. 2026 na po, di ba?” she said.</p><p>Suntay has been criticized for saying during a congressional hearing that he felt desire after seeing actress Anne Curtis.</p><p>“Alam mo, 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 ang pwedeng mangyari. Pero syempre, hanggang imagination na lang &#x27;yon. Hindi naman siguro ako pwedeng kasuhan dahil kung anu-ano &#x27;yong na-imagine ko,” Suntay said during the hearing.</p><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/t-l4bc0s_hU?&amp;t=20s&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><p>He later apologized to those offended by his remark but said he stands by his analogy.</p><p>“I stand by that analogy that I made but if some people were offended, lalo na Women’s Month, I’m sorry for those who were offended but if you read the context talaga, there was nothing malicious in it. Depende kung bibigyan ng malice nung nagbasa,” Suntay said in a separate DZMM interview.</p><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mAcgKEcnhC4?&amp;t=9s&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span> </div><p>The congressman has compared his “desire” towards Curtis to Vice President Sara Duterte’s past statement that she wanted to cut off the head of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. in that both are just imagined.</p><p>“Ang punto ko lang na I wanted to drive at - something that you imagine, something that you desire, ano yan, it is not an impeachable offense if there were no overt acts, which was done,” he said.  </p><p>&quot;Ang imagination ba - is it an impeachable offense or a criminal offense? Kaya ako gumawa nang analogy.&quot;</p><p>Suntay has been accused of lawyering for the Vice President, after he denied that cash envelopes distributed by Duterte&#x27;s office to DepEd officials constituted a bribe.</p><p>In the interview, Zamora agreed that Suntay was lawyering for Duterte. She said she personally believes the impeachment complaint against the Vice President is sufficient in substance.</p><p>“Personally po, yes. I will tell you this. As a prosecutor of the failed impeachment bid last year, we had the same allegations, we had the same evidence and more. We have extra evidence now in the form of the Madriaga affidavit. Sabi ko nga po, last year prosecutor ako and I was ready to prove the existence of at least article 1. Dito po ako naka-assign last year. Pareho naman po yung grounds,” she said.</p><p>The House of Representatives justice committee is set to vote on the sufficiency of substance of the two impeachment complaints against Duterte.</p><p>If the panel finds the complaints sufficient, Duterte will then be asked to respond to the complaint within 10 calendar days.</p><p>The justice committee will then deliberate on Duterte’s response before sending the complaint to the House plenary. </p><p>“Pwede mag-rejoin ang respondent. Nandun pa lang po tayo. After that, mag-hi-hearing po sa Committee on Justice. So hindi pa po aakyat sa plenaryo. Maybe in the next month or so,” she said.</p><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7Z6_bbu5yjQ?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>Congressman Bong’s Suntay statement <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/3/4/suntay-says-sorry-for-nag-init-remark-but-stands-by-analogy-0845">saying sorry</a> for those offended by his lewd remarks towards actress-host Anne Curtis is a non-apology, according to the female lawmaker who first called out Suntay's remarks.</p>

Congressman Bong’s Suntay statement saying sorry for those offended by his lewd remarks towards actress-host Anne Curtis is a non-apology, according to the female lawmaker who first called out Suntay's remarks.

Suntay's sorry a non-apology, says Zamora, but nixes ethics complaint

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Suntay's sorry a non-apology, says Zamora, but nixes ethics complaint

David Dizon,

ABS-CBN News

Published March 04, 2026 11:37 AM PHT

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Updated March 04, 2026 04:22 PM PHT

Read More:

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Ysabel Maria Zamora

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