The House of Representatives voted on Wednesday, February 4, to keep Cavite 4th District Representative Kiko Barzaga under suspension, acting on a recommendation from its committee on ethics after determining that his conduct during an earlier penalty period warranted further disciplinary action.
Lawmakers approved a fresh 60-day suspension following a vote in plenary, with 238 members supporting the motion, 10 opposing it, and nine abstaining. Barzaga had already been serving a similar suspension imposed two months earlier.
In a report read before the chamber by committee chair JC Abalos, the ethics panel concluded that Barzaga’s actions while suspended from December 1, 2025 to January 30, 2026 constituted a pattern of worsening behavior. “After a thorough deliberation on the case, the committee finds that respondent Barzaga of the 4th District of Cavite committed repeated, escalating misconduct during the period of his suspension from office during December 1, 2025 to January 30, 2026, which reflected negatively upon the dignity, integrity, and reputation of the House of Representatives as an institution,” the report stated.
Among the incidents cited was a social media post targeting the late Antipolo congressman Romeo Acop, in which Barzaga accused the deceased lawmaker of corruption without evidence and wrote that Acop was “now suffering through eternal damnation.” The committee described this as a vilification of a colleague who could no longer respond.
The complaint against Barzaga was filed by his former party colleagues from the National Unity Party (NUP), who also alleged that he continued to defame sitting lawmakers and a private individual. The panel noted accusations made online against a businessman, widely understood to refer to Enrique Razon, whom Barzaga publicly linked to bribery without presenting proof.
The ethics committee further faulted Barzaga for refusing to participate in proceedings related to the complaint. “Choosing to entirely ignore the disciplinary proceedings in the committee on ethics in a manner that undermines the work of the committee ultimately undermines the House of Representatives as an institution,” the report said.
Barzaga was present during the session and cast a vote against the resolution extending his suspension.
