Davao de Oro gubernatorial candidate responds to Comelec over alleged sexist remarks

DAVAO CITY (April 13)— Davao de Oro Representative Ruwel Peter Gonzaga, who is running for governor, has addressed a show-cause order from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) concerning alleged sexist remarks made during his campaign, saying remarks made before the poll’s body resolution.

The Comelec’s Task Force SAFE issued the order on April 8, citing three incidents where Gonzaga purportedly made inappropriate comments. One such remark included telling a woman to “spread your legs” during a campaign event.

In his response through his social media page, Gonzaga claimed that political opponents’ videos capturing these remarks were “spliced and edited” to misrepresent his statements.

He said those statements were issued before Comelec issued Resolution No. 11116, which prohibits discriminatory campaign conduct and took effect on February 27, 2025. ​

Despite asserting that his remarks were taken out of context, Gonzaga publicly apologized to those offended. He is the fourth candidate to receive a show-cause order from the Comelec for alleged violations of the anti-discrimination guidelines.