Women file ethics complaint vs Sotto
A coalition of women’s groups filed an ethics complaint against Senate Majority Leader Vicente “Tito” Sotto III on Wednesday, about a week after his controversial remark about single parents during a Commission on Appointments (CA) hearing.
Among the complainants are the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women-Asia Pacific ( CATWAP), World March of Women–Pilipinas (WMW), and Pambansang Koalisyon ng Kababaihan sa Kanayunan (PKKK).
The complaint was filed before the Senate committee of ethics, which Sotto chairs, a day after Sotto met with members of the Federation of Solo Parents and assured them of amendments to the Solo Parents Welfare Act of 2000.
Sotto, for his part, said that once he receives an official copy of the complaint, he will file an indefinite leave and allow Sen. Panfilo Lacson, vice chair of the committee, to take over.
“I’m ethics chairman and there’s a complaint against me. It’s only proper that I file a leave out of delicadeza. I definitely have that,” Sotto told reporters.
The senator said he has not yet read the complaint but stressed that it was a “welcome thing” and would let Lacson determine if the complaint had “form and substance.”
“I haven’t read the complaint but we live in a democracy. We have freedom of speech, freedom of expression, freedom of the press, freedom to waste our time so it’s a welcome thing,” Sotto said.
He described the complaint as a “blessing in disguise” noting that filing an indefinite leave would mean that he would get to take a break from reviewing several ethics complaints filed against colleague, detained Sen. Leila de Lima.
Joke
During the hearing on the confirmation of Social Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo last May 3, Sotto cracked a joke about her admitting to being a single mother. Sotto described single mothers as “na-ano lang” (knocked up).
In their complaint, the women’s groups said Sotto “undermined national policies that have underpinned laws such as The Solo Parents Welfare Act (Republic Act 8972) and the Magna Carta of Women (Republic Act 9710).”
It also said that he “manifested that he views single/solo mothers as less-than others; demeaning and disparaging women in the same position and making them easy targets of jokes and ridicule.”
Senator Vicente “Tito” Sotto III showed his utter insensitivity and disregard for the hard work, strong will and determination of mothers who raise children on their own. WOMEN’S GROUPS
It noted that he “epitomizes the segment of the misogynist and macho sector of the society that considers women who are without men as less of value” and that “his language normalized the patriarchal view that men have sexual privilege over women and trivialized abandonment of responsibility over children.”
Sotto “showed his utter insensitivity and disregard for the hard work, strong will and determination of mothers who raise children on their own,” the complaint said.
Moreover, the complaint noted that not a single member of the CA corrected or commented on Sotto’s remark which they found “alarming.”
The group wanted Sotto to inhibit himself as chair of the Senate Committee on Ethics and wanted the committee to impose a sanction against him.
They also sought for all members of the CA to be reprimanded for failing to correct Sotto and require all senators including their staff to undergo Gender Sensitive Training facilitated by the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW).
“Ang pangunahin naming layunin sa pagsasamapa ng aming reklamo ay maunawaan ng publiko na an gaming ipinaglaban na mga batas para sa pagtatanggol at pagprotekta sa karapatan ng mga kababaihan ay hindi dapat nababalewala lalo na ng mga pinuno sa ating pamahalaan, lalo na ng mga lehislador na dapat ay nauunawaan ang mga batas na ito, sa particular yung Magna Carta of Women,” CATW-AP representative Jean Enriquez said in an interview.
“Our main objective in filing a complaint is to make the public understand that the laws that we have been fighting for to protect the rights of women should not be ignored, especially by government officials and legislators who should be able to understand these laws, particularly the Magna Carta of Women,” CATW-AP representative Jean Enriquez said in an interview.