MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives has authorized its Committee on Ethics and Privileges to assess the "inappropriate" statements by Quezon City 4th District Rep. Jesus Manuel Suntay on actress Ann Curtis which he made during a hearing on the impeachment charges against Vice President Sara Duterte. Laguna 1st District Rep. Ann Matibag, chairman of the Committee on Women and Gender Equality, asked that the matter be referred to the House Committee on Ethics and Privileges. Suntay later spoke at the plenary, saying in Filipino and English, "I have already explained and I respect the feelings of my colleagues here but I repeat, during the hearings, I was arguing on principles that lawyers and legislators should know" which was that a person "cannot be held liable for mere thoughts, imaginations, or associations without an overt act." "But like I said, the analogy might have been in bad taste and were taken in the wrong context. [...] But like I said, and I have repeated many times, there was no malice intended and if there was malice deduced [...], I wish to apologize to those affected and hurt", he said. Suntay said in a radio interview earlier on Wednesday that "it was an imaginary situation. It was a fictitious situation. I have not even seen Anne Curtis in person but I have seen her on TV." He said when he spoke at the plenary on Wednesday evening, "My record on women's welfare is real. The gender and development code and the" Bawal Bastos Ordinance "which I authored in Quezon City were not small achievements." He said further on that "we should look at the person by his actions and not mere statements. I think there is no perfect person here." San Juan Rep. Ysabel Zamora moved to refer Matibag's speech to the House Committee on Ethics and Privileges "for its appropriate action." There was no objection and her motion was approved. Zamora then moved to authorize the House Committee on Ethics and Privileges to schedule a meeting to "conduct a thorough assessment on the actuations and statements of" Suntay "relative to the question of privilege of" Matibag. There was no objection and the motion was approved.