MANILA – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has ordered Pasig congressional candidate Christian Sia to explain his controversial remarks about single mothers during a campaign rally.
Sia, a lawyer, drew criticism after joking that if elected, he would sleep with single mothers who are still menstruating and lonely—offering to do so once a year. He even urged interested women to register for his “offer.”
In a formal order issued Friday, Comelec Task Force on Safeguarding Fear and Exclusion in Elections Director Sonia Bea Lozada directed Sia to respond within three days.
“You are hereby ordered to SHOW CAUSE in writing… and explain why a complaint for an election offense and/or a petition for disqualification should not be filed against you,” the order stated.
Comelec cited Sia’s remarks as a potential violation of Resolution No. 11116, which upholds anti-discrimination and fair campaign guidelines. The resolution prohibits acts of bullying, gender-based harassment, and discrimination against women and other marginalized groups.
Sia was instructed to submit his written explanation via email and send a hard copy to the Comelec’s Task Force Safe office in Manila. Lozada warned that failure to comply would be considered a waiver of his right to be heard.
The poll body reiterated that laws such as the Magna Carta of Women (RA 7277) and the Safe Spaces Act (RA 11313) penalize discrimination and gender-based harassment.
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