MANILA, Philippines — Gabriela Party Rep. Arlene Brosas of Gabriela Party has demanded an apology from Senator Robin Padilla over his remark on wanting to resign from his post since it keeps him away from time spent with women.
Padilla had earlier voiced his support for charter change, claiming it would not touch on political amendments. The senator then expressed his desire to leave the Senate because he believes he “cannot have women here.”
READ: Padilla assures Cha-cha will only cover economic provisions, not political
His remark, however, displeased Brosas who called it “unbecoming of a public official.”
She further argued that Padilla’s statement violates the Code of Conduct for Public Officials, which states that “public officials and employees shall always uphold the public interest over and above personal interest.”
“It reeks of misogyny and toxic masculinity, which should not be tolerated in this society,” Brosas said in a statement on Wednesday.
The Makabayan lawmaker urged Padilla to issue a public apology and “uphold his sworn duty as a legislator with utmost devotion and respect to Filipino women.”
Brosas then reminded the neophyte senator that his job entails “addressing gaps in current laws and not womanizing.”
“Women should not be treated like mere objects that men can use in their spare time,” she added.
Brosas accused Padilla of resorting to “uncalled for macho theatrics” to divert attention from issues concerning the proposed charter change.
She also noted that Padilla had earlier filed a Senate resolution reviving the push for the country to shift to federalism and have a parliamentary government.
Brosas pointed out this is “a clear political amendment in the Constitution.”
Padilla, who leads the Senate committee on constitutional amendments, is pushing for charter change via constituent assembly where both chambers of Congress would vote separately.
But some of his colleagues in the Senate believe that making modifications to the 1987 Constitution is unnecessary now.
READ: Koko Pimentel, Grace Poe, Nancy Binay: Cha-cha is not needed at this time
Even President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. drew the line and said charter change is not among the priorities of his administration as he argued that “there are so many other things that we need to do first.”
READ: Charter change not needed to get foreign investments – Marcos
Following Marcos’ pronouncement, more senators jumped the wagon and pushed for Congress to redirect its attention to the priority measures of the administration.