Lawyer Tony La Viña called out retired Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban for “sexist behavior” when he appeared at the Senate as an amicus curiae and made remarks directed at Sen. Risa Hontiveros.
Panganiban, who shared his insights on the voting threshold to convict in an impeachment trial, made the comments after Hontiveros suggested that he might want to answer the questions posed to the other amici curiae.
Panganiban asked if he could reply even in private.
“Dalaga naman po kayo,” he said.
Hontiveros, a widow, said she had more questions to ask the legal experts, and Panganiban interjected, saying he was single as well.
La Viña slammed Panganiban’s behavior.
“He lost his credibility with his sexist behavior. I can’t believe that people are not disgusted with that,” he said.
The group Every Woman, meanwhile, called Panganiban’s behavior toward Hontiveros “misogynist,” saying it was sad that he had to ruin his erudite opinion with his remarks.
The group said it was not mere flirtation and showed that men still do not understand how to deal with women in the workplace.
“No sir. It was not a laughing matter. Laws against this kind of behavior in the workplace are in place. They are meant to ensure that women are not made uncomfortable in the workplace. They are meant to ensure that women are treated like professionals and co-workers.
It’s 2026, for goodness sake!” it said.