Comelec task force moves to disqualify Pasig bet Ian Sia over lewd joke

Metro Manila, Philippines - An election task force has filed a disqualification case against Pasig congressional candidate Christian “Ian” Sia over a lewd joke about single mothers made earlier this month, as well as a subsequent remark about the body of a female staff member.

The Commission on Elections Task Force SAFE (Safeguarding Against Fear and Exclusion in Elections) on Wednesday, April 16, submitted the petition to disqualify Sia from running for representative of the lone district of Pasig City.

Director Sonia Bea Wee-Lozada, head of the task force, said the petition addresses two campaign incidents: the first, where Sia offered to sleep with female solo parents who were still menstruating, and the second, where he defended himself against accusations of being a pervert by presenting a "fat" female staff member.

This comes despite Sia’s earlier defense that he did not violate any rule, accusing the Comelec of overstepping its jurisdiction and asserting his right to free speech. Sia, a lawyer, argued that the poll body has no authority to enforce the Magna Carta of Women and the Safe Spaces Act.

Even if it did, Sia maintained that he did not violate those laws, claiming his remarks were “conversational banter” typical of “ordinary people” and were not intended “to discriminate, exclude, restrict, demean, or harass female solo parents,” nor to deprive them of any rights or freedoms.

“My campaign events are my way of conversing with my constituents. While the words may sound brash, my speech, in its entirety, [falls] within my freedom of speech,” he said in a formal response.

In a chance interview at the Comelec office in Intramuros, Manila after the filing, Comelec spokesperson Rex Laudiangco said the task force was not satisfied with Sia’s explanation.

He added that the poll body will raffle the case to a division, which will issue a summons directing Sia to file his response as part of due process.

“Ang commitment po ni Chairman [George] Garcia, hangga’t maaari, tatapusin nila lahat ng disqualification cases bago maghalalan. Pero alam naman po natin, may proseso,” Laudiangco said.

[Translation: Chairman [George] Garcia's commitment is that, as much as possible, they will finish all the disqualification cases before the elections. However, we all know that there is a process.]

The petition includes a request to suspend Sia’s proclamation if he wins in the May 12 midterm elections and the case remains unresolved.

This comes in addition to an election offense complaint filed by the Solo Parents Party-list. Laudiangco said the Comelec en banc will decide whether to elevate the case to a regional trial court.

Sia was the first candidate to receive a show cause order from the task force, as part of Comelec’s ongoing crackdown on violations of its anti-discrimination and fair campaigning guidelines. Since then, additional show cause orders have been issued to other candidates over remarks the poll body deemed discriminatory or racist.

NewsWatch Plus has reached out to Sia for comment on the disqualification petition filed against him.