A Philippine senator has been slammed online after asking husbands in parliament whether they have “sexual rights” over their wives.
Former actor Robin Padilla raised the issue with a prominent human rights lawyer who was invited to serve as an adviser to hearings on sexual harassment in the entertainment industry.
He also asked what if the husband was “in the mood” but the wife wasn’t – to which lawyer Lorna Capnan replied that they could “watch Netflix”.
Mr. Padilla, one of the country’s most popular celebrities, is running for office in 2022 and is the nation’s top Senate candidate.
Mr Padilla, who is leading a Senate inquiry into complaints of sexual harassment and abuse in the media industry, made the comments at a hearing on Thursday.
While speaking to Ms Kapunan, he asked whether it was okay for a husband to proposition his wife for sex if she was “in the mood” and she was not.
“What if your wife doesn’t want to do it? Is there no other option for the husband? If you look for other women, you could be prosecuted,” Mr. Padilla said in Tagalog.
Ms Kapunan said that in such situations, husbands should “seek counselling, pray or watch Netflix”.
He then added that some husbands feel their wives are there to “serve” them, to which Ms Kapunan responded that “it is not a wife’s duty to serve her husband”.
Padilla’s comments sparked a flurry of comments online, including one calling him “disgusting.”
One comment on X said: “So does this mean the wife becomes the husband’s personal sex worker?”
Prominent human rights lawyer Jose Manuel Diokno said in an article published on X: “A husband has no ‘sexual rights’ over his wife. Women have equal rights and free will.’ No’ means no.
Another X user said Mr Padilla’s comments could be used as an argument to eventually legalize divorce in the country.
Among the Philippines’ 110 million people, eight out of ten are Catholics, which deeply affects people’s views on marriage and family. It is the only country in the world outside the Vatican where divorce is illegal.
Mr. Padilla is one of the country’s most popular celebrities. Before becoming an actor, he rose to fame in the 1990s playing Robin Hood playboy.
He was later convicted of illegal firearm possession and sentenced to eight years in prison, which was later pardoned. He then resumed his film and television career and became beloved for turning lives around.
His wife, Mariel Padilla, is a Filipino-born American and a Filipino actress and model.
In 2022, Padilla decided to run for office and came out on top in the 2022 Senate election with 26 million votes, providing him with a platform to seek higher office.
