Marilyn Cahatol

Cavite 4th District Rep. Kiko Barzaga is seen at the House of Representatives plenary hall as Speaker Martin Romualdez is set to issue a statement regarding his resignation on September 17, 2025. Lawmakers witnessed the transition, which marked a significant political shift in the lower chamber.
Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Vivienne Gulla

ABS-CBN News

MANILA — House Deputy Speaker Ronaldo Puno filed Tuesday a cyberlibel complaint against Cavite Fourth District Rep. Kiko Barzaga over his social media post alleging that House members from the National Unity Party received bribes from business tycoon Enrique Razon ahead of the 2025 elections in exchange for supporting former speaker Martin Romualdez. Puno, chairman of the NUP, filed the complaint before the Office of the City Prosecutor in Antipolo.Puno said Barzaga’s January 9, 2026 Facebook post “falsely imputes the commission of a serious crime”. The complaint described the post as a retaliation against Puno and the other NUP members who previously initiated the ethics proceedings against Barzaga.“Actions have consequences, especially when they are malicious and clearly intended to destroy reputations without any basis,” Puno said.“You cannot casually accuse someone of a crime, broadcast it to millions, and expect to hide behind social media antics. We will pursue full accountability under the law,” he added.Puno’s complaint argued that Barzaga’s post is not protected by parliamentary immunity, since cyberlibel carries a penalty exceeding six years, and that the speech or debate clause does not extend to statements made outside Congress and unrelated to legislative action.Puno has denied having received any bribe from Razon or any other person and stated that he Was seeking redress for the damage caused by what he described as a “false and malicious public accusation”. “Other NUP Members who were similarly maligned are already in the process of filing their own complaints,” Puno said. “This is not about rhetoric. As we’ve said before, this is about protecting our reputations and enforcing accountability when outright falsehoods are thrown at us.” he added.Puno also reserved the right to file a separate civil action for damages arising from the same acts.Sought for comment, Barzaga said, “I will face him in court”.Last week, Razon also filed a <a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/1/14/razon-files-cyberlibel-complaint-vs-barzaga-1729">cyberlibel </a>complaint against the neophyte lawmaker.Razon’s camp said Barzaga&#x27;s accusations &quot;crossed the line from political speech into criminal defamation,&quot; and described the latter’s claims as “implausible”, since Romualdez ran unopposed, making alleged bribery unnecessary.<div> </div><div>APOLOGY</div><div> </div>On Tuesday, Barzaga confirmed apologizing to Razon over a “personal issue”, but the lawmaker said he remained ready to face the businessman in court.Asked whether he apologized to Razon for accusing him of involvement in alleged bribery, the lawmaker clarified, “For the personal issue. I will still be facing him in court”.In December last year, the House of Representatives imposed a 60-day suspension on Barzaga after finding him “guilty of disorderly behavior,&quot; which stemmed from “reckless” and “inflammatory” social media posts. His suspension will end Jan. 30.

House Deputy Speaker Ronaldo Puno has filed a cyberlibel complaint against Cavite 4th District Rep. Kiko Barzaga over a social media post alleging House members from the National Unity Party of receiving bribes from business tycoon Enrique Razon to support former speaker Martin Romualdez.

House Deputy Speaker Ronaldo Puno has filed a cyberlibel complaint against Cavite 4th District Rep. Kiko Barzaga over a social media post alleging House members from the National Unity Party of receiving bribes from business tycoon Enrique Razon to support former speaker Martin Romualdez.

Barzaga faces another cyberlibel complaint over bribery claim

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Barzaga faces another cyberlibel complaint over bribery claim

Marilyn Cahatol,

Vivienne Gulla,

ABS-CBN News

Published Jan 20, 2026 12:23 PM PHT

|

Updated Jan 20, 2026 01:54 PM PHT

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Kiko Barzaga

Ronaldo Puno

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