Valenzuela City Congressman Sherwin “Win” Gatchalian said the persons behind the latest Bench underwear show should be made answerable to the law to prevent a repeat of the suppose fashion show.

“Someone should be held accountable for the degrading and dehumanizing treatment of women particularly on the segment that showed a scantily clad woman treated like a dog on a leash being held by a known actor,” Gatchalian said.

Gatchalian, a majority member of the House committee on basic education and culture and on higher and technical education, was referring to a segment of the show, featuring actor Coco Martin who walked down the runway while holding a female model on a leash.

“The act itself promotes inequality in favor of men and at the expense of women. It dehumanizes women, devaluing them at the level of animals. It crossed the line from entertainment to perversion,” he noted.

The photo has also sparked outrage in the social media. The blog Plump Pinay also slammed the segment, saying it is “crossing the line”.

Gatchalian recalled that Republic Act No. 9710, also known as the “Magna Carta for Women,” mandates the state to “raise the consciousness of the general public in recognizing the dignity of women.”

Under the Revised Penal Code, those who show “indecent or immoral plays, scenes, acts or shows, whether live or in film” are penalized with prision mayor and/or fined P6,000 to P12,000.

Gatchalian pointed to instances in past Bench underwear show, which sparked outrage because of similar offensive elements that tend to degrade women and treat them as “sex objects.”

“I think it is high time that someone makes those behind the latest Bench underwear show accountable to make sure that they learn their lesson,” he said.

“The concerned company should review its values, given that it has massive influence over its target market. It is only appropriate for the company to apologize to women but there should also be accountability on the part of the company,” Gatchalian concluded. (Monica Cantilero)