Comelec DQs Pasig bet over sexist remarks

Pasig congressional candidate Christian Sia has been disqualified from the May 12 midterm polls due to his sexist remarks about single mothers and body shaming of his former female assistant.

- By MAYEN JAYMALIN

Sia's remarks constitute acts of gender-based harassment and violate the Fair Campaigning Act, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) Second Division has ruled.

Comelec Chairman George Garcia said the ruling is historic since it is the first time that the poll body applied the anti-discrimination resolution.

At a campaign sortie last month, Sia said single mothers, especially those who are still menstruating, could sleep with him once a year.

Sia is insisting that the Comelec's ruling is "wrong" since he did not get a court conviction over his sexist joke.

"If Congress intended that a violation of the Safe Spaces Act be a ground to disqualify a candidate, it could have included such a provision in the said law, but it did not," Sia told The STAR.

The Pasig bet, who is a lawyer, has vowed to take the case to the Supreme Court if his motion for reconsideration is rejected.

Sia is running under the slate of construction magnate Sarah Discaya, who is competing against Mayor Vico Sotto.

Villar cleared of vote buying

Meanwhile, Las Piñas Rep. Camille Villar has been cleared of vote buying allegations by the Comelec.