The House of Representatives on Wednesday voted 238-10 with nine abstentions to adopt the recommendation of the Committee on Ethics and Privileges to impose another 60-day suspension without pay on Cavite 4th District Rep. Francisco “Kiko” Barzaga for repeated and escalating misconduct.
The suspension stemmed from findings that Barzaga committed fresh violations of House rules while serving a prior suspension, in defiance of a stern warning issued by the chamber.
Committee chair and 4Ps party-list Rep. JC Abalos said the panel found substantial evidence that Barzaga violated Section 141, Rule 20 of the Rules of the House by continuing to post malicious and defamatory content on social media from Dec. 1, 2025, to Jan. 30, 2026.
The new penalty arose from a privileged speech and complaint filed by Manila 2nd District Rep. Rolando Valeriano, who alleged that Barzaga openly defied House authority by repeating—and intensifying—the same disorderly conduct for which he had already been sanctioned.
Valeriano cited Barzaga’s social media posts accusing fellow lawmakers of receiving bribes from tycoon Enrique Razon in exchange for political support, allegations the committee found to be reckless, defamatory, and unsupported.
The complaint also pointed to posts vilifying the late Antipolo City Rep. Romeo Acop, with Abalos saying the committee considered the attacks on a deceased colleague especially reprehensible and incompatible with the dignity and restraint expected of a member of Congress.
“This constitutes a deliberate and reasoned defiance of the authority of the House and its disciplinary process,” Abalos said in sponsoring the report.
Barzaga was earlier suspended for 60 days after the House adopted Committee Report 28 on Dec. 1, 2025, which found him liable for disorderly behavior, including posting incendiary content and retaining publicly viewable inappropriate and indecent material in violation of Section 141A, Rule 20 of the House Rules and Republic Act 6713.
The House plenary directed the committee to assess Barzaga’s conduct during the suspension, after which the panel treated the new acts as a continuation of prior misconduct, not a separate case.
Abalos said Barzaga ignored formal notices to appear before the committee and publicly declared that he would not attend the ethics hearing, leading the panel to declare him in default.
“The Committee will not tolerate conduct that brings itself and the entire House into disgrace and contempt,” Abalos said.
With the plenary’s adoption of the report, Barzaga will again be suspended for 60 days without salary and allowances.
The penalty also carries a stern warning that any further repetition of similar misconduct could warrant harsher sanctions, including expulsion from office, under House rules.
