MANILA, Philippines – Catholic and Muslim groups called out sexist and racist jokes by candidates in the Philippines’ May 12 elections, as the country’s poll body threatened to sue violators of its anti-discrimination rules.

One of the most controversial cases involves a Metro Manila congressional candidate, Christian Sia of Pasig City, who offered to have sex “once a year” with single mothers who “are still menstruating.”

“So here’s my offer for the solo parents of Pasig: Once a year, the solo parents who are still menstruating and are feeling sad, once a year, they can have sex with me,” Sia said in a campaign speech that went viral on social media.

The Commission on Elections ordered Sia to explain his statement because this is a possible election offense, which could be punished with one to six years in prison.

Sia responded to the Comelec on Monday by invoking freedom of speech and claiming that his statements “were not made to discriminate, exclude, restrict, demean, or harass female solo parents.” He also argued that discrimination falls beyond the jurisdiction of the Comelec.

The Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting, the Philippines’ biggest Catholic election watchdog, said Sia’s controversial statement should serve as a “wake-up call” for Filipino voters.

“I think it’s a perfect example of the overwhelming need to be discerning,” said Anna Singson, spokesperson of the PPCRV, in an interview with radio station Teleradyo Serbisyo on Sunday.

Singson said that personally, “I was so offended as a woman.”

“There is nothing ridiculous about what was said about women. This is a call to everybody: When you make decisions, think deeply and be critical based on your values,” she said.

The PPCRV spokesperson also posed a challenge to candidates. “If right now, you cannot put your best foot forward, how will you be if you win as legislators?” Singson said in her radio interview.

She also said candidates should possess the qualities of a “model Filipino,” chief of which is the love of God.

“The notion of leadership is most important. Leadership is servant leadership. That’s what God taught us. And that’s the right kind of leadership: servant leadership. Are you running to serve the Philippines, or do you have another plan or purpose?” Singson said.

In the southern Philippines, another politician found himself in trouble for making sexist and racist jokes in campaign rallies.

Governor Peter Unabia of Misamis Oriental said their province’s nursing scholarship is “only for women” — and, in particular, “beautiful women.” Ugly women cannot be nurses, according to Unabia, because any man’s illness will only get worse when facing an ugly nurse.

Unabia, separately, also cautioned voters against electing candidates with Muslim ties because of their alleged record of stoking violence.

Unabia later apologized to religious leaders for his statements against the country’s Muslim minority, local reports said.

The Siraj-Muslim Religious Organization of Xavier University Ateneo de Cagayan, a Jesuit university, voiced “deep concern” over Unabia’s statement “which allegedly associates Muslims with terrorism or other harmful stereotypes.”

“Let us be clear: Muslims are not terrorists. Islam, like all major religions, advocates peace, compassion, and respect for all of humanity,” said Siraj MRO in a statement on April 5. “We urge our leaders, especially those in public office, to be more mindful of their words and the impact they carry. Public statements should nurture unity, not sow discord.”

The University of the Philippines Muslim Students’ Association (UP MSA) also criticized Unabia for his “destructive rhetoric.”

“The normalization of Islamophobia in political platforms must end,” the UP MSA said.

Sexist and racist jokes became an election issue in the Philippines especially after populist leader Rodrigo Duterte’s victory in the 2016 presidential election.

In April 2016, a few weeks before the election, Duterte made headlines for joking about an Australian missionary who was raped and killed in his hometown, Davao City, in 1989. “I was mad she was raped but she was so beautiful. I thought the mayor should have been first,” Duterte said in remarks quoted by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

The president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference at that time, Archbishop Socrates Villegas of Lingayen-Dagupan, criticized Duterte for making this rape joke and for calling Pope Francis a “son of a bitch.” The archbishop’s words largely went unheeded, as Duterte was elected by 16 million voters in Asia’s biggest Catholic-majority country.

In 2022, Filipinos elected former president’s daughter, Sara Duterte, as the country’s vice president. Her ally back then, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., separately won the presidency, even if Catholic clergymen campaigned against the Marcos-Duterte tandem due to alleged corruption and immorality.

The Duterte patriarch continues to enjoy massive support to this day, even if he is detained at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands, for alleged crimes against humanity in his war on drugs.

Duterte’s campaign style of making sexist jokes also continues to resonate with Filipino voters, according to analysts, despite the Catholic Church’s effort to warn against discrimination.