A reelectionist mayor in Cavite province added to the list of aspirants called out by the Commission of Elections (Comelec) over lewd and unsavory remarks in campaign sorties.
Silang town Mayor Alston Kevin Anarna was ordered by the poll body’s Task Force on Safeguarding Against Fear and Exclusion in Elections (SAFE) to explain his alleged discriminatory jokes on single parents.
In a March 29 campaign sortie, Anarna joked that he would give free spouses to solo parents by pairing all widowers with widows via a raffle.
“We note that a live video recording of above utterance is posted on your registered online campaign platform with the Commission…In our view, the foregoing constitutes possible violation of Comelec Resolution No. 11116 or the Anti-Discrimination and Fair Campaign Guidelines for the purposes of the 12 May 2025 National and Local Elections and BARMM Parliamentary Elections, specifically, Section 3,” Comelec Task Force SAFE Director Sonia Bea Wee-Lozada said in a show cause order to Anarna.
Section 3 of the resolution says any person who, directly or indirectly, commits acts of bullying based on human immunodeficiency virus status, coercion, discrimination against women, discrimination against persons with disabilities (PWDs) on the use of public accommodations, gender-based harassment, labeling, public ridicule against PWDs, vilification of PWDs, violation of an anti-discrimination ordinance, and/or violation of rights to religious, cultural sites, and ceremonies shall be liable for an election offense under Section 13 of Republic Act 9006 and Section 261 (e) of the Omnibus Election Code (OEC) and other pertinent laws, rules, and regulations.
Those found guilty of committing an election offense face up to six years imprisonment, according to the OEC.
The poll body also flagged Anarna’s remarks saying an elderly woman made sexual advances on him.
“Kanina di ko na mabilang kung ilan ang kumurot sa pwet ko. Meron pa kanina si Lola. Alam niyo, first time nangyari to sa kampanya. Si lola nilaplap pa ako (I cannot recall how many people pinched my butt. Here is this old woman. You know, this happened for the first time during my campaign. This old woman kissed me torridly),” he said.
Anarna was given three days by the poll body to answer why he should not be charged for an election offense or disqualified over these acts.
MisOr guv: Remarks done in ‘good faith’
Meanwhile, reelectionist Misamis Oriental Governor Peter Unabia said his recent remarks that were called out by the poll body were uttered in “good faith.”
“It is essential to underscore that both remarks were: made in good faith; expressed in non-malicious, non-threatening contexts; not accompanied by any directive, propaganda, or sustained pattern of exclusion or hateful campaigning,” Unabia said in his reply to the Comelec.
Unabia added that his statements are “covered within the favored freedom as they are essential in maintaining a light, relatable and engaging atmosphere during a campaign event, coupled with the purpose of informing the electorate with the more pressing issues that need to be addressed by our local leaders.”
“In the absence of any clear and present danger to maintaining a free and honest election, or actual policies or directives which discriminate any gender, such statements should be subsumed within the favored freedom of every candidate to speak of his or her mind, and the concomitant freedom of every member of the electorate to know,” he added.
Unabia has said that only beautiful women should be given nursing scholarship grants because patients’ conditions might worsen if they are attended to by male or ugly nurses.
He also said politicians from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao might dominate their localities if his slate and allies are defeated in the polls. (PNA)
