House leader pushes bid to expel Barzaga
It seems the kid gloves are off for suspended Cavite Rep. Francisco “Kiko” Barzaga, who might soon face yet another complaint that could finally lead to his expulsion from Congress, the chair of the National Unity Party (NUP) said on Friday.
In an interview with reporters, Deputy Speaker and Antipolo Rep. Ronaldo Puno lamented that Barzaga “does not seem to have learned his lesson from his suspension and has even ratcheted up his bad behavior and ignoring everything and mocking Congress.”
“I think we really have to make an example of somebody who just absolutely defies everything that Congress does, and then creates confusion and really tarnishes the reputation of everybody there,” said Puno, who chairs the second-largest political party in the House.
“We will bring it up to Congress to consider. Maybe we should just have him expelled because it seems there is not going to be any end to this problem unless he is removed,” he added.
Barzaga is currently serving a 60-day suspension due to an ethics complaint filed by Puno and other NUP members last year for accusing his colleagues of taking bribes in exchange for supporting the reelection bid of then Speaker Martin Romualdez in July under the 20th Congress.
Specifically, Barzaga was an NUP member until he claimed in recent social media posts and public statements that members of the party received bribes from businessman Enrique Razon in exchange for backing Romualdez.
Razon filed a cyberlibel complaint against Barzaga on Jan. 14 at the Makati City Prosecutor’s Office after the congressman claimed in two Facebook posts that Razon was the “mastermind behind the corruption in Congress” and bribing NUP members at Solaire Resort on Jan. 9 to support Romualdez.
In his libel suit, Razon, chair of International Container Terminal Services Inc. and Bloomberry Resorts Corp., said Romualdez ran unopposed and secured a supermajority in the 2025 elections, rendering any bribery unnecessary.
P110M lawsuit
The complaint includes two counts of cyberlibel and seeks P100 million in moral damages and P10 million in exemplary damages.
Barzaga, who is currently serving a 60-day suspension from the House, is the son of deceased NUP party stalwart, Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga. The party is the second largest in the House.
The NUP also asked the House ethics committee, led by 4Ps Rep. JC Abalos, to demand that Barzaga undergo a comprehensive fitness test to see whether he is fit to resume his duties after his 60-day suspension.
Barzaga faced an earlier ethics complaint for supposedly violating the House code of conduct and Republic Act No. 6713 for, among others, his social media posts inciting hatred against the chamber, mocking his House colleagues, acting out in the plenary hall, posting lewd photos of himself with a scantily clad woman and of himself flaunting cold cash, among others.
