Razon sues Barzaga for P110M over FB post
Ports and casino magnate Enrique Razon filed on Wednesday two counts of cyberlibel against suspended Cavite Rep. Francisco Barzaga who had accused him of bribing some House lawmakers in July to help Rep. Martin Romualdez retain his post as Speaker under the 20th Congress.
Razon, in a complaint submitted to the Makati City Prosecutor’s Office, is seeking at least P100 million in moral damages and P10 million in exemplary damages, citing harm to his reputation and emotional distress.
The businessman’s case against Barzaga was based on the lawmaker’s Facebook post on Jan. 9 which referred to Razon as “the mastermind behind the corruption in Congress.”
According to Barzaga, Razon had bribed members of the National Unity Party (NUP), the second largest political party in the House, to back Romualdez for Speaker. The post also contained the hashtag #IkulongSiRazon (Jail Razon).
The controversial post was later deleted but not before it was picked up by media outlets and, according to the tycoon’s camp, seen by “thousands of users … colleagues and staff.”
Razon dismissed Barzaga’s claims as “knowingly false or made with reckless disregard for the truth.” According to him, the allegations against him “crossed the line from political speech into criminal defamation.”
Criminal defamation
“Romualdez ran unopposed and won a supermajority of votes to be reelected Speaker in 2025, making any alleged bribery unnecessary,” Razon said in a statement.
He added that he “has no role in congressional leadership contests and no ability to influence lawmakers’ votes.”
Earlier this week, the head of the NUP said in a statement that they were also studying taking legal action against Barzaga for his “baseless and malicious claim.”
“There was no contest. To claim that bribes were paid in a situation where there was no contest at all defies logic,” House Deputy Speaker and Antipolo Rep. Ronaldo Puno said.
According to Puno, Barzaga “chose to malign all members of the NUP, a party once led by his own father and one that he himself joined.“
“To turn around and accuse the NUP of criminal conduct, without evidence, shows a reckless and deeply irresponsible contempt for the truth,” he said.
Barzaga is the son of the late NUP stalwart, Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga. The rookie lawmaker left the party last year, claiming that Puno had linked him to a supposed plot to oust then Speaker Romualdez. Puno, however, denied his allegation.
The younger Barzaga is currently serving a 60-day suspension which the House imposed on Dec. 1 last year. The penalty was based on a complaint the NUP filed against him before the House ethics committee for supposedly violating the code of conduct for lawmakers.
Under suspension
The party cited Barzaga’s social media posts that allegedly incited hatred against the chamber and mocked his colleagues. It also drew attention to a picture he posted showing him with a scantily clad woman.
With the lawmaker’s 60-day suspension without pay set to end next month, the NUP last week asked the House ethics committee to assess whether he is fit to return to the chamber.
Among other reasons, it said that Barzaga has continued to use his social media accounts to “publish content that continues to reflect discreditably upon the House and undermine the ethical standards of members of Congress.”
The NUP noted that he mocked the late Antipolo Rep. Romeo Acop who died of a heart attack last month in one post, and fanned conspiracy theories about the death of former Department of Public Works and Highways Undersecretary Catalina Cabral in another.
