Party moves on Barzaga for posts deemed offensive, seditious
MANILA, Philippines — The National Unity Party (NUP) plans to file an ethics complaint against its Rep. Kiko Barzaga (Cavite, 4th District), accusing him of misconduct demonstrated in his Facebook posts. The party said he is inciting violence, posting lewd content and flaunting his wealth.
Deputy Speaker Ronaldo Puno, chair of the second-largest political party, held a press conference on Monday, September 15, to present the basis of the ethics complaint the NUP intends to file against the 27-year-old Barzaga.
“We want to establish standards of behavior that will apply to everyone. And if you get to Congress, you are presumed to be sound of mind. And if you are not, then you should not be in Congress,” he said, describing Barzaga as “unwell.”
Puno said his mother, Dasmariñas Mayor Jenny Austria-Barzaga, admitted she finds it difficult to manage her son. He, however, did not disclose his health condition.
"Somebody has to discipline this boy. We cannot allow this to be propagated as if this is normal," Puno said about Barzaga's posts.
According to NUP, Barzaga committed four violations as a public official: failing to follow the House code of conduct, violating ethical standards, inciting sedition and acting against the best interests of the service.
The party said Barzaga’s online posts and comments have been “reckless” and unbecoming of a public official in the House, describing his behavior as a “willful degradation of standards” in the lower chamber.
Barzaga's posts
Among Barzaga’s recent posts was a message saying not to set Congress ablaze first, as he supposedly had a privilege speech to deliver on Monday. Puno suggested this might be a reference to how protesters in Nepal overthrew their government by setting it on fire.
“‘Wag niyo sunugin ang House of Representatives bukas may privilege speech pa ako sa Lunes,” he said on a September 12 post, a day before progressive groups staged one of their protests against corruption.
(Don’t set the House of Representatives on fire tomorrow because I still have a privilege speech on Monday)
Many of his posts have criticized Romualdez and his leadership, insinuating corruption and calling for his replacement, often using the hashtag #PhilippinesVsRomualdez. The party also cited past posts by the lawmaker containing lewd photos and content deemed offensive to women.
He also made a post alleging that Romualdez will be ousted this week and that Majority Leader Sandro Marcos may take his place.
“By using his verified official social media platforms to disparage government institutions, Rep. Barzaga has dragged not only himself but the House into disrepute,” the NUP’s statement read.
Unruly behavior
While Barzaga denied planning a plot to oust Romualdez, Puno shared how the lawmaker barged into Marcos’ office, closed the doors and asked everyone to sit down, revealing that he would be running for speaker.
“Kaninang tanghali pumasok siya sa opisina ng Majority Leader. Sinara niya yung pintuan. Tapos sabi niya, ‘Everybody sit down. I want to tell you my plans for what to do with Congress. I am running for Speaker,’” Puno said.
(Earlier this afternoon, he went inside the Majority Leader’s office. He closed the door. And then he said, “Everybody sit down. I want to tell you my plans for what to do with Congress. I am running for Speaker.”)
Puno said everyone in the office was shocked but did not react strongly. He added that Barzaga has been campaigning to become the next House speaker and reportedly plans to declare the position vacant.
The resignation
The NUP initially refrained from filing the ethics complaint to spare her feelings, but growing attention to Barzaga’s allegedly seditious posts led them to vote on it. No unanimous decision was reached.
The move comes after Barzaga left the party amid allegations that he plotted against Romualdez, which he denied. Puno clarified that he only asked Barzaga about it after hearing rumors of him soliciting signatures against the speaker.
The moment Barzaga resigned, however, he said the speaker should be the first one to be investigated in the alleged corruption tied to lawmakers in flood control projects, urging people to look into his province Cavite.
Puno said he tried to convince Barzaga not to resign because his father, the late Rep. Pidi Barzaga Jr., was one of the co-founders. Barzaga, however, believes it is best to part ways with the party.
"I know he is not well, but we cannot allow this behavior to be unresponded to eh. Kailangan magsalita tayo. Hindi pwede ganyan. ... We're trying to develop good moral character in our children. This is not helping and he is a congressman," Puno said.
Barzaga, however, quickly posted on Facebook his response, saying "Puno is mistaken."
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