Four lawmakers from Davao have issued a joint “Statement of Support” pushing back against the House of Representatives’ decision to suspend Rep. Kiko Barzaga for 60 days without pay over allegedly inappropriate social media posts.
The suspension, approved on December 1, 2025, by 249 members of the 20th Congress, marks only the fourth time in Philippine history that a sitting member of Congress has faced this kind of penalty.
In their statement, Rep. Paolo Duterte of Davao City’s 1st District, Rep. Omar Duterte of the 2nd District, Rep. Isidro Ungab of the 3rd District, and Rep. Harold James T. Duterte of the PPP Partylist said the punishment sends a troubling message that sharp criticism of powerful figures can now be treated as “disorderly behavior” rather than being answered through open and democratic debate.
They noted that the complaint was filed by Barzaga’s former party, the National Unity Party, and moved through the Ethics Committee with unusual speed—prompting doubts about whether the move stemmed from political motivations instead of a fair assessment of his conduct.
The lawmakers also questioned the committee’s broad interpretation that Barzaga’s posts harmed the “dignity” of the House, saying it creates an overly wide and subjective standard for what legislators may or may not say online.
They stressed that the decision comes at a time when Filipinos are facing economic uncertainty, peace and order issues, and persistent allegations of corruption in major public projects. In such a climate, they argued, silencing a critic only deepens public suspicion instead of restoring trust in institutions.
Standing with the five lawmakers who opposed the suspension and the eleven who refused to join the majority, the Davao representatives called on Congress to maintain transparency, embrace accountability, and pursue a continuing good-faith search for the truth.
Barzaga becomes only the fourth member of Congress to be suspended in the country’s legislative history. The first was Sergio Osmeña Jr. in 1960, who was suspended for 15 months after accusing President Carlos Garcia of bribery.
Twenty-nine years later, in 1989, Nicanor de Guzman Jr. was suspended over allegations of smuggling high-powered firearms. In 2023, Arnie Teves was suspended three times for disorderly conduct, continued absence, refusal to return to the country, defiance of House orders, use of foreign platforms to attack government institutions, and refusal to participate in proceedings.
“The search for truth must continue,” the lawmakers said, emphasizing that their responsibility is not only to their constituents but to future generations.
