A senator in the Philippines has been criticised online after he asked in parliament whether a husband has a “sexual right” to his wife.
Robin Padilla, a former actress, questioned a prominent human rights lawyer who was invited to represent him at a hearing on sexual harassment in the entertainment industry.
He also asked what husbands should do if they are “in the mood” and their wives are not – lawyer Lorna Kapunan replied that they could “watch Netflix”.
Mr Padilla, one of the country’s most popular figures, ran for reelection in 2022, where he emerged as the country’s leading senatorial candidate.
Mr. Padilla, who is leading a Senate investigation into sexual harassment and abuse claims in the media industry, made the comments at a hearing on Thursday.
When speaking to Ms Kapunan, he asked if a husband could ask his wife for sex if he was “in the mood” and she was not.
“What if your wife doesn’t want it? Is there no other way for husbands? If you look to other women, you can be sued,” Mr. Padilla said in Tagalog.
In such cases, husbands should instead “seek counseling, pray or watch Netflix,” Ms. Kapunan said.
He then added that some husbands feel their wives are there to “serve” them, to which Ms. Kapunan replied that “wives are not supposed to serve their husbands.”
Mr Padilla’s comments sparked a flood of online comments, including one calling him “disgusting”.
A comment on X said: “So does that mean the wife becomes her husband’s personal prostitute?”
“Husbands do not have ‘sexual rights’ over their wives. Women have equal rights and free will. No means no. It’s all about respect,” prominent human rights lawyer Jose Manuel Diokno said in a post on X.
Another X user said Mr Padilla’s comments served as an argument to eventually legalize divorce in the country.
Eight out of 10 of the Philippines’ 110 million people are Catholic, which has a profound impact on views on marriage and family. It is the only country in the world, other than the Vatican, where divorce is illegal.
Mr. Padilla is one of the country’s most famous people. He was famous for his role as a Robinhood gambler in the 1990s before becoming an actor.
He was later convicted of illegal possession of a weapon and sentenced to eight years in prison before being pardoned. He then continued his film and television career and is widely credited with turning his life around.
His wife is Mariel Padilla, a Filipino-American, who is also an actress and model in the Philippines.
In 2022, Mr. Padilla decided to run for public office and won the 2022 Senate election with 26 million votes, thereby creating an opportunity for him to seek higher office.
