Senator Vicente "Tito" Sotto III candidly spoke about the victim-blaming issue that has been bugging him lately.
The Philippine Commission for Women (PCW) slammed Eat Bulaga hosts for the "victim blaming and shaming" of the contestant who had been abused by a drinking buddy. It did not mention Sotto, who is one of the hosts of the long-running show.
Sotto responded by asking the PCW to watch the episode of Eat Bulaga and judge if he had indeed shamed a female contestant.
"My comment was simply saying that a married woman drinking with other men at night will be 'mapapagbintangan ng asawa!' So what are they saying? That I am not allowed to practice the freedom of speech? I have no right to an opinion? I was merely after the protection of the institution of marriage," he said.
"I suggest they watch the episode. They are relying on comments of those who do not even know the context of the issue. To give your comment without watching the full episode and relying on an edited version is silly, to say the least," the senator added.
The issue began during the July 9 "Sugod Bahay" portion of Eat Bulaga where the winner revealed that her husband demanded separation following allegations of drinking with other men.
The commission said victim blaming and shaming "promotes a culture of misogyny that justifies and normalizes abuses against women."
"The PCW expresses its concern over the actions of the hosts of noontime show ‘Eat Bulaga’ who hastily indicted and stereotyped a female contestant who previously went through various kinds of abuses," it said in a statement on its website.
The commission pointed out that "the hosts began pressing, berating, accusing her guilty, if not held her responsible for her misfortunes," shortly after the woman recounted her experience and shared how she dressed and acted with her peers under the influence of alcohol.
The senator reprimanded the woman by saying, "Ka-bababeng tao mo pa naman, pa-shot-shot ka."
Sotto claimed that he was just protecting the institution of marriage with his remarks.
However, the PCW described Sotto's remarks as "clear examples of victim blaming and shaming which can be likened to fault-finding against rape and sexual harassment victims who were blamed for wearing sexy outfits, getting drunk or walking alone in dark streets."
Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer
Image: ABS-CBN
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