Manila lawmaker sues Barzaga for cyberlibel, says more to follow suit
Another lawmaker filed on Wednesday a cyberlibel complaint against Cavite Rep. Francisco “Kiko” Barzaga over his allegation that members of the National Unity Party (NUP) were bribed by businessman Enrique Razon to support former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
The case lodged by Manila Rep. Rolando Valeriano before the Manila prosecutor’s office is the third against Barzaga. The first was filed by Razon followed by NUP chair and Antipolo Rep. Ronaldo Puno.
Barzaga, son of the late NUP stalwart and Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga, claimed in a social media post earlier this month that NUP members received bribes from Razon during gatherings held at Solaire in exchange for electing Romualdez as House Speaker of the 20th Congress in July.
Razon and the NUP have vehemently denied his claim. Barzaga later deleted the said post.
Valeriano said the allegation amounted to a public accusation of bribery against an identifiable group of legislators and was made without evidence.
No evidence
He also argued that the post constituted cyberlibel under the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, in relation to provisions of the Revised Penal Code on libel, because it was published online and widely circulated on social media and news sites, amplifying its reach and alleged reputational harm.
According to Valeriano, the accusation imputed a serious crime and was made with malice and reckless disregard for the truth, noting that no proof was presented to support the claim.
“Baseless accusations of bribery are not harmless political commentary,” he said. “They are accusations of criminal conduct, broadcast to the public as if they were established fact.”
“This is an affront to the entire NUP, not just to one member,” he added.
Valeriano also said that other NUP lawmakers named or affected by the same post would pursue their own legal remedies.
The NUP is currently the second-largest political party in the House of Representatives, second only to the Lakas Christian-Muslim Democrats party.
Puno added that the party was planning to question Barzaga’s conduct anew in Congress and to try to seek his expulsion this time, arguing that the rookie lawmaker has not learned his lesson despite the 60-day suspension order issued against him last December.
The suspension order was related to another ethics complaint also filed by the NUP over Barzaga’s disorderly conduct in plenary as well as his crude and sensational social media posts, which included a lewd photo of him with a woman in cosplay.
