Actress Jasmine Curtis-Smith drew attention online after calling out veteran journalists Manuel Mogato and Ed Lingao over their interview with Quezon City 4th District Representative Bong Suntay, whose remarks about her sister Anne Curtis sparked widespread criticism.
In a post on X dated March 3, Jasmine expressed frustration after watching a clip from the program Storycon, where Mogato and Lingao interviewed Suntay regarding his controversial statement.
“BAKIT TUMATAWA UNG MGA LALAKING HOSTS SA PAGTATANONG NILA?????? WALA KAYONG INIBA KAY BONG SUNTAY,” Jasmine wrote.
Her comment came amid the growing backlash against Suntay after he invoked Anne Curtis in a controversial analogy during a House Committee on Justice hearing related to the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte.
During the hearing, Suntay said: “Minsan nasa Shangri-La ako, nakita ko si Anne Curtis. Ang ganda-ganda pala niya. You know, may desire sa loob ko na nag-init talaga, at na-imagine ko na lang kung ano ang puwedeng mangyari. Pero siyempre hanggang imagination lang ’yon.”
The remark drew condemnation from several public figures and sectors, who described it as disrespectful toward women.
Lingao later addressed Jasmine’s criticism through a Facebook post, questioning whether the actress had watched the full interview before reacting.
“Napanood kaya niya ang buong interview bago magtweet?” he wrote.
He also pushed back against accusations that the hosts were afraid to challenge the congressman.
“Yung iba namang nagkokomento na takot daw kami at bahag ang buntot kaya kami natatawa — I seriously don’t think we have the same threshold for fear.”
Lingao added that interviewing Suntay was part of their responsibility as journalists, suggesting that questioning him directly was more constructive than simply criticizing him from the sidelines.
After seeing Lingao’s response, Jasmine reposted a screenshot of the journalist’s statement on X with the caption: “Interesting.”
A few hours later, she issued a follow-up statement acknowledging that her earlier comparison may have been too harsh.
“I regret likening the hosts to Bong Suntay, that was too strong and said in frustration.”
However, she maintained her core point that the issue deserved to be treated with seriousness.
“I still stand by the point that laughter has no place in a discussion about remarks that diminish women. This is a long-standing issue that generations of women have had to confront, and it deserves to be treated with seriousness.”
The exchange triggered mixed reactions online. Some netizens defended Mogato and Lingao, saying their laughter may have been a reaction to what they perceived as the absurdity of Suntay’s argument during the interview.
Others sympathized with Jasmine, noting that her reaction likely stemmed from anger over what many saw as disrespectful comments directed at her sister.
As of writing, Anne Curtis has not released any official statement regarding the controversy.
