THE National Unity Party (NUP) is preparing to ask the House of Representatives to expel suspended Cavite 4th District Rep. Kiko Barzaga, citing what it characterizes as repeated defiance of congressional authority and ethics rulings.
House Deputy Speaker Ronaldo Puno, who chairs the NUP, stated that the party is considering expulsion due to Barzaga’s alleged failure to comply with decisions of the House ethics committee and the chamber itself. “Ang nangyayari dito parang paulit-ulit, parang binabalewala ‘yung mga desisyon ng Ethics committee. Binabalewala ‘yung desisyon ng Congress (What is happening seems repetitive—decisions of the Ethics committee are being disregarded. The decisions of Congress itself are being ignored),” Puno said.
Puno added that Barzaga’s actions could be considered outright defiance and done in bad faith.
“Itong si Congressman Barzaga baka hilingin namin na i-expel na rin sana kasi parang talagang outright defiance na of everything that is going on at saka bad faith na siya (With Congressman Barzaga, we may even seek for his expulsion because it appears to be outright defiance of everything that is happening, and his actions seem to be in bad faith),” he said. \
He further stated that Barzaga’s conduct falls short of the standards expected of members of Congress, saying, “Hindi talaga ito behavior ng tunay na mambabatas. Parang naging laro-laro na lang (This is not the behavior of a true legislator. It seems like a game to him).”
According to Puno, allowing such conduct to persist diminishes the institution. “So I think it demeans the House to have somebody like him. Baka naman (Perhaps) the House will consider expelling him na lang para walang ganyang problema (to avoid this kind of problem),” he said.
In December, the House voted to suspend Barzaga for 60 days following findings by the ethics committee related to his social media posts. Earlier, the NUP announced plans to file charges against Barzaga over a now-deleted Facebook post accusing NUP members of receiving bribes. Barzaga, however, maintains that he is not the problem, stating, “The problem in the House is not my behavior, I have not stolen anything from the Filipino people.”
