Comedian Victor Anastacio opens up about being sexually assaulted in a project: ‘May revenge fantasies ka na sa utak mo’

Trigger warning: This article contains mentions of sexual assault and/or violence that may be triggering to survivors.

Stand-up comic and erstwhile midnight TV shopping host Victor Anastacio revealed he was sexually assaulted in a project he was legally advised not to name. 

In the latest episode of his podcast Intellectwalwal with Victor Anastacio, he claimed that the assailant groped his balls twice while he was changing his clothes.

“Nakakalalake siya eh and akala mo okay lang, na i-su-swoop under the rug but then na-i-imagine mo na may revenge fantasies ka na sa utak mo na 'di na healthy sa’yo,” he shared. “Alam mo ‘yun? Hindi maganda eh.”

Initially, he was planning to reveal the identity of the assailant and the project but his lawyer-friend advised against it. 

“Yung una ko kasing naiisip gawin, parang okay, i-a-out ko itong taong ‘to na hinawakan ako sa bayag dalawang beses habang nagbibihis ako—kinuwento ko na ‘to sa mga close friends ko eh—tapos sasabihin ko na ito ay dahil ganun,” he said, adding that he planned to attribute it to the tolerance of non-consensual touching in local showbiz.

But his lawyer-friend assured him it was not the case. “Ang sinabi niya ‘Hindi siya profession-based ah. May kilala akong abogado na ganyan ‘yung mga cases niya at nangyayari siya sa lahat,'” Anastacio recalled. His friend then advised other legal routes to take.

Anastacio, who currently appears in Prime Video’s Last One Laughing Philippines, said that sexual assault could not only be linked to the gender attracted to you because some men also touch another man’s private parts for the sake of being “alpha.”

He cited actor and former football player Terry Crews as an example of a man who was also groped by a Hollywood agent while at an event with his wife in 2016.

Addressing his listeners who are mostly men, he said it's wrong for a man to be dismissive of a guy sharing that he was sexually attacked. “Yung pa-machong ganun na, ‘dapat sinapak mo!'”

“Siyempre bilang matinong tao, ‘di naman ‘yun ang iisipin mo kaagad na, parang bubugbugin,” Anastacio said. He advised his male followers to “lend a listening ear” to their friends who were sexually harassed.

Anastacio also brought up how victims who come forward tend to be gaslighted. “‘Pag i-confront ng ibang tao ‘yung nang-harass sa kanila, i-gagaslight na naman. Tulad ng ganun, [The assailant would say,] ‘Jojoke lang, ‘di mo pala gets? Sensitive ka pala? ‘Di mo pala gets ‘yung joking na ganun. Ganito kasi dito talaga eh.”

While Anastacio said he was grateful for the support from his friends, his manager, and his handler, he admitted that he's privileged to be able to speak about his experience.

“Suwerte ako dahil sa mga magulang ko, pinaaral ako sa Ateneo, and makapangyarihan ‘yung mga kaibigan ko in a way,” he said. “Parang society problem siya, hindi lang legal, hindi lang professional."

He said that while those who experienced sexual harassment can report it to their respective HR departments, others who experienced it outside a corporate structure would have a hard time looking for help because of a lack of resources or networks.

Speaking to fellow male victims of sexual harassment, Anastacio said, “Nakakahiya siya pero hindi mo dapat ikahiya on its own kasi hindi mo naman kasalanan, hindi ikaw ang gumawa.”